Amniotic fluid and serum biomarkers from women with neural tube defect-affected pregnancies: a case study for myelomeningocele and anencephaly: clinical article.

OBJECT: The authors sought to identify novel biomarkers for early detection of neural tube defects (NTDs) in human fetuses. METHODS: Amniotic fluid and serum were drawn from women in the second trimester of pregnancy. The study group included 2 women pregnant with normal fetuses and 4 with fetuses displaying myelomeningocele (n = 1), anencephaly (n = 1), holoprosencephaly (n = 1), or encephalocele (n = 1). Amniotic fluid stem cells (AFSCs) were isolated and cultured. The cells were immunostained for the stem cell markers Oct4, CD133, and Sox2; the epigenetic biomarkers H3K4me2, H3K4me3, H3K27me2, H3K27me3, H3K9Ac, and H3K18Ac; and the histone modifiers KDM6B (a histone H3K27 demethylase) and Gcn5 (a histone acetyltransferase). The levels of 2 markers for neural tube development, bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP4) and sonic hedgehog (Shh), were measured in amniotic fluid and serum using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The AFSCs from the woman pregnant with a fetus affected by myelomeningocele had higher levels of H3K4me2, H3K4me3, H3K27me2, and H3K27me3 and lower levels of KDM6B than the AFSCs from the women with healthy fetuses. The levels of H3K9ac, H3K18ac, and Gcn5 were also decreased in the woman with the fetus exhibiting myelomeningocele. In AFSCs from the woman carrying an anencephalic fetus, levels of H3K27me3, along with those of H3K9Ac, H3K18ac, and Gcn5, were increased, while that of KDM6B was decreased. Compared with the normal controls, the levels of BMP4 in amniotic fluid and serum from the woman with a fetus with myelomeningocele were increased, whereas levels of Shh were increased in the woman pregnant with a fetus displaying anencephaly. CONCLUSIONS: The levels of epigenetic marks, such as H3K4me, H3K27me3, H3K9Ac, and H3K18A, in cultured AFSCs in combination with levels of key developmental proteins, such as BMP4 and Shh, are potential biomarkers for early detection and identification of NTDs in amniotic fluid and maternal serum.

Epigenetic modification after inhibition of IGF-1R signaling in human central nervous system atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT).

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated epigenetic modifications in human central nervous system atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (AT/RTs), in response to inhibition of insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 (IGF-1R). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tumor tissue was obtained from two pediatric patients, tissue was dissociated, and primary cultures were established. Cultured cells were treated with picropodophyllin (PPP; 0, 1, and 2 µM for 48 h), a selective IGF-1R inhibitor. Histone acetylation and methylation patterns (H3K9ac, H3K18ac, H3K4me3, H3K27me3) and levels of histone deacetylases (HDACs; HDAC1, HDAC3, and SirT1) and histone acetyl transferases (GCN5 and p300) were examined. H3K9ac and H3K18ac decreased in response to treatment with PPP. HDAC levels showed a biphasic response, increasing with 1 µM PPP, but then decreasing with 2 µM PPP. CONCLUSION: Inhibition of IGF-1R modified epigenetic status in AT/RT. Determining the mechanisms behind these modifications will guide the development of novel therapeutic targets for this malignant embryonal cancer.

Nuclear localization of folate receptor alpha: a new role as a transcription factor.

Folic acid (FA) has traditionally been associated with prevention of neural tube defects; more recent work suggests that it may also be involved in in the prevention of adult onset diseases. As the role of FA in human health and disease expands, it also becomes more critical to understand the mechanisms behind FA action. In this work we examined the hypothesis that folate receptor alpha (FRα) acts as a transcription factor. FRα is a GPI-anchored protein and a component of the caveolae fraction. The work described here shows that FRα translocates to the nucleus, where it binds to cis-regulatory elements at promoter regions of Fgfr4 and Hes1, and regulates their expression. The FRα recognition domain mapped to AT rich regions on the promoters. Until this time FRα has only been considered as a folate transporter, these studies describe a novel role for FRα as a transcription factor.

Transcriptional regulation by Pax3 and TGFbeta2 signaling: a potential gene regulatory network in neural crest development.

Pax3 regulates neural crest cell migration and is critical during neural crest development. TGFbs modify neural crest cell migration and differentiation. TGFbeta2 nullizygous embryos (TGFbeta2(-/-)Pax3(+/+)) display open neural tube and bifid spine, whereas in wild type embryos, the neural tube is closed. In previous work, we have demonstrated that Pax3 regulates TGFbeta2 by directly binding to cis-regulatory elements on its promoter. In this study, we found that the TGFbeta2 nullizygous phenotype can be reversed to the wild type phenotype by down-regulating one allele of Pax3, as in TGFbeta2(-/-)Pax3(+/-) embryos obtained through breeding TGFb2(+/-)Pax3(+/-) mice. The data in this paper suggest that Pax3 and TGFbeta2 interact in a coordinated gene regulatory network, linked by common downstream effector genes, to bring about this phenotypic reversal. Downstream effectors may include Hes1, Ngn2 and Sox9, as well as other genes involved in neuronal differentiation.