The Role of Age-Related DNA Methylation in the Development of Age-Related Diseases

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The Role of Age-Related DNA Methylation in the Development of Age-Related Diseases The role of age-related DNA methylation in the development of age-related diseases A thesis submitted in part requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy July 2013 Sanne Dorien van Otterdijk Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University Abstract Alterations in DNA methylation can have dramatic effects on gene transcription, and in particular, hypermethylation of promoter associated CpG islands is known to lead to gene inactivation. Altered patterns of DNA methylation play a key role in the development of cancer and may also play important roles in many other diseases. However, the mechanisms which lead to these changes in DNA methylation are unknown. DNA methylation patterns have also been found to change during normal ageing and these changes have similarities to those that occur during the development of cancer. This suggests that for some age-related diseases, most notably cancer, altered patterns of methylation may be an early initiating event and that disease may develop in cells which already possess changes in their DNA methylation landscape. Therefore, this study was designed to examine how methylation levels at a group of genes alters over the life-course and how these relate to methylation changes observed in major age- related diseases (cancer, specifically acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC) patients, and atherosclerosis). DNA was collected from healthy volunteers from different ages and from ALL, HNPCC and atherosclerosis patients. Methylation was quantified using pyrosequencing. The study produced a number of findings: 1) Genes exhibiting variable methylation in PBL samples from healthy volunteers are also highly methylated in leukaemia, suggesting a common underlying mechanism. 2) Increased methylation levels were observed in lymphoid compared to myeloid cells, in healthy individuals, mirroring the patterns seen in leukaemia. 3) A subset of genes exhibiting variable methylation in PBL samples from healthy volunteers and that are highly methylated in leukaemia are aberrantly methylated in HNPCC patients and atherosclerosis patients, suggesting shared risk factors. 4) While methylation levels increase during ageing, a substantial proportion of methylation is already present at birth and may thus alter disease susceptibility throughout life. 5) Blood samples from ALL patients in remission exhibit increased methylation levels (versus controls), not directly related to their leukaemic clone, and the extent of methylation correlates with overall survival. The studies to date are compatible with a hypothesis in which altered methylation of disease-related genes pre-exists in a subset of haematopoietic cells and that these cells may be at a significantly increased risk of progression to age-related diseases. Furthermore, monitoring DNA methylation may be a valuable tool for early diagnosis of these diseases, as well as for monitoring disease progression in patients. i Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisors Gordon Strathdee, John Mathers and Ioakim Spyridopoulos for their support, guidance and inputs throughout the project, as well as my group members. Thanks for the numerous members of staff within the University who have provided assistance during this project, under which my assessors, Caroline Relton and Jim Allen, everyone at the flow cytometry facility and the pyrosequencer who helped with technical guidance and the statisticians who were a great help for finding the correct statistical tests. A special thanks to everyone from the old crucible lab for giving me such a warm welcome in Newcastle. It was a privilege to share a lab with all of you! Thanks for those in the SJS who friendly welcomed us in the new lab after the move and for keeping me company during the, sometimes so hard needed, work breaks. Thanks to all of my friends who supported me through the past years by either a nice chat or a couple of pints, both here in Newcastle and overseas. Especially for those involved in Monday dinner and Friday drinks; the Newcastle experience wouldn’t have been the same without the always good start and end of the week with your great company and sometimes some alcohol . So everyone involved in these activities, but also all the friends that I made beside this, I will miss all of you when I leave Newcastle. I will finish my acknowledgements with thanking the most important people, without whose support I would not have come this far: my family and Maurice; spreading your wings is easy, when you have someone there to catch you when you fall. So thanks, for always giving me that safety net, to support me with whichever crazy idea I came up next, and most importantly, for always giving me a home. Maurice, I know the past three years apart wasn’t easy on both of us, but I couldn’t have done it without knowing that you were always there for me. A new chapter of our lives will begin after this, and I’m looking forward to it with you by my side. ii Table of contents CHAPTER 1. BACKGROUND .............................................................................................. 1 1.1 EPIGENETICS ....................................................................................................... 2 1.1.1 DNA methylation............................................................................................. 4 1.1.2 DNA methyltransferase genes ......................................................................... 5 1.1.3 DNA de-methylation7The role of DNA methylation in cellular processes ........................................................................................................................ 7 1.1.4 The role of DNA methylation in cellular processes ........................................ 8 1.1.5 The role of DNA methylation in controlling gene expression ........................ 9 1.1.6 Histone modification..................................................................................... 10 1.1.7 DNA methylation........................................................................................... 12 1.2 AGEING AND AGE-RELATED DISEASES ............................................................... 13 1.2.1 Cancer ........................................................................................................... 15 1.2.1.1 Haematopoietic malignancies ................................................................ 15 1.2.2 Cardiovascular diseases ............................................................................... 16 1.2.3 Molecular pathways involved in ageing and age-related diseases .............. 17 1.2.3.1 Cell signalling pathways associated with ageing .................................. 17 1.2.3.2 Cell signalling pathways associated with age-related diseases ............. 21 1.2.4 Epigenetics changes associated with ageing and age-related diseases ....... 21 1.2.4.1 Epigenetic changes associated with ageing ........................................... 21 1.2.4.2 Epigenetic changes associated with cancer ........................................... 23 1.2.4.3 Epigenetic changes associated with cardiovascular disease .................. 24 CHAPTER 2. PROJECT HYPOTHESIS ........................................................................... 26 2.1 PROJECT HYPOTHESIS ........................................................................................ 27 2.2 PROJECT AIMS ................................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER 3. METHODS ..................................................................................................... 31 3.1 SAMPLES ........................................................................................................... 32 3.1.1 Sample collection .......................................................................................... 32 3.1.2 DNA extraction ............................................................................................. 35 3.1.3 Cell type specific cell sorting ........................................................................ 35 3.1.3.1 Isolation of mononuclear cells by gradient centrifugation .................... 36 3.1.3.2 Cell-type specific cell isolation ............................................................. 37 3.1.3.2.1 CD19, CD3 and CD14 isolation ....................................................... 38 iii 3.1.3.2.2 CD34 isolation .................................................................................. 38 3.1.3.3 Isolation of granulocytes ....................................................................... 39 3.1.3.4 Validation of cell isolations ................................................................... 40 3.1.3.4.1 Validation of cell isolations by qPCR ............................................... 40 3.1.3.4.1.1 RNA isolation ......................................................................... 40 3.1.3.4.1.2 cDNA extraction ..................................................................... 41 3.1.3.4.1.3 qPCR ....................................................................................... 41 3.1.3.4.2 Validation of cell isolation by flow cytometry .......................... 43 3.2 METHYLATION ANALYSIS .................................................................................. 43 3.2.1 Preparing for methylation analysis .............................................................. 43 3.2.1.1 Sodium bisulphite modification ...........................................................
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