Epigenetic features of testicular germ cell tumours in relation to epigenetic characteristics of foetal germ cells
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Epigenetic features of testicular germ cell tumours in relation to epigenetic characteristics of foetal germ cells. / Kristensen, Dina G.; Skakkebæk, Niels E.; Rajpert-De Meyts, Ewa; Almstrup, Kristian.
In: International Journal of Developmental Biology, Vol. 57, No. 2-4, 2013, p. 309-317.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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T1 - Epigenetic features of testicular germ cell tumours in relation to epigenetic characteristics of foetal germ cells
AU - Kristensen, Dina G.
AU - Skakkebæk, Niels E.
AU - Rajpert-De Meyts, Ewa
AU - Almstrup, Kristian
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Foetal development of germ cells is a unique biological process orchestrated by cel-lular specification, migration and niche development in concert with extensive epigenetic and transcriptional programs. Many of these processes take place early in foetal life and are hence very difficult to study in humans. However, the common precursor of testicular cancers-the carcinoma in situ (CIS) cell-is thought to be an arrested foetal germ cell. Therefore studies of CIS cells may leverage information on human foetal germ cell development and, in particular, when neoplastic transformation is initiated. In this review, we will focus on current knowledge of the epigenetics of CIS cells and relate it to the epigenetic changes occurring in early developing germ cells of mice during specification, migration and colonization. We will focus on DNA methylation and some of the best studied histone modifications like H3K9me2, H3K27me3 and H3K9ac. We also show that CIS cells contain high levels of H3K27ac, which is known to mark active enhancers. Proper epigen-etic reprogramming seems to be a pre-requisite of normal foetal germ cell development and we propose that alterations in these programs may be a pathogenic event in the initiation of testicular germ cell cancer. Even though only sparse information is available on epigenetic cues in human foetal germ cells, these indicate that the developmental patterns differ from the findings in mice and emphasize the need for further studies of foetal germ cell development in humans.
AB - Foetal development of germ cells is a unique biological process orchestrated by cel-lular specification, migration and niche development in concert with extensive epigenetic and transcriptional programs. Many of these processes take place early in foetal life and are hence very difficult to study in humans. However, the common precursor of testicular cancers-the carcinoma in situ (CIS) cell-is thought to be an arrested foetal germ cell. Therefore studies of CIS cells may leverage information on human foetal germ cell development and, in particular, when neoplastic transformation is initiated. In this review, we will focus on current knowledge of the epigenetics of CIS cells and relate it to the epigenetic changes occurring in early developing germ cells of mice during specification, migration and colonization. We will focus on DNA methylation and some of the best studied histone modifications like H3K9me2, H3K27me3 and H3K9ac. We also show that CIS cells contain high levels of H3K27ac, which is known to mark active enhancers. Proper epigen-etic reprogramming seems to be a pre-requisite of normal foetal germ cell development and we propose that alterations in these programs may be a pathogenic event in the initiation of testicular germ cell cancer. Even though only sparse information is available on epigenetic cues in human foetal germ cells, these indicate that the developmental patterns differ from the findings in mice and emphasize the need for further studies of foetal germ cell development in humans.
KW - Carcinoma in situ testis
KW - Epigenetics
KW - Gonocyte
KW - Primordial germ cell
U2 - 10.1387/ijdb.130142ka
DO - 10.1387/ijdb.130142ka
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 23784842
AN - SCOPUS:84880060821
VL - 57
SP - 309
EP - 317
JO - International Journal of Developmental Biology
JF - International Journal of Developmental Biology
SN - 0214-6282
IS - 2-4
ER -
ID: 284205367