Epigenetics and cancer Flashcards
What percentage of CpGs are methylated?
60-80%.
What is CpG?
Regions of DNA where a cytosine is followed by a guanine nucleotide in the sequence.
What percentage of CpGs are present in CpG islands?
10%.
What is a CpG island?
THey are 100kb - 2kb dense CpGs.
Where are CGIs usually found, and is the DNA methylated or unmethylated??
At promoters and unmethylated.
When is DNA remethylated in sperm?
Before birth and after meiosis.
What is a consequence if methylation is defective?
Spermatogenesis is impaired.
When is DNA fully remethylated in eggs?
After meiosis 1 arrest and sexual maturation.
What is the result of defective methylation in oocytes?
It does NOT hinder fertilisation.
When does DNA methylation decrease in male DNA?
Just after fertilisation to up until morula stage. It decreases rapidly in comparison to female DNA.
When does DNA methylation decrease in female DNA?
From past the zygote stage and slowly decreases until the morula stage.
What are some ways in which DNA can be demethylated?
TETs - oxidative demethylation and ELP3.
What is another method in which DNA can be demethylated?
The DNA can be deaminated followed by repairing the T-G mismatch.
What are the Tet genes?
Tet1, Tet2 and Tet3.
How does the expression of Tet change throughout development?
Tet3 has high expression at the zygote stage and decreases until the two cell stage where it is no longer present, whereas Tet1 and Tet2 are not present until just after the four cell stage and increase until up to the blastocyst stage.
What is 5-mC?
Methylayed DNA.
What is 5-hmC?
Hydroxymethyl group on DNA - involved in switching genes on and off.
What does De novo methylation of Oct5 and Nanog result in?
The silencing of Nanog and Oct4.
What demethylates Oct4 and Nanog?
DNMT3A and 3B.