5-methylcytosine

Pathology

Genome-wide reduction in 5-methylcytosine is an epigenetic hallmark of human tumorigenesis. Experimentally induced hypomethylation in mice promotes genomic instability and is sufficient to initiate tumorigenesis.

For example, global hypomethylation is common in primary human glioblastomas [glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)] and can affect up to an estimated 10 million CpG dinucleotides per haploid tumor genome. (16951158)

References

 Cadieux B, Ching TT, Vandenberg SR, Costello JF. Genome-wide Hypomethylation in Human Glioblastomas Associated with Specific Copy Number Alteration, Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Allele Status, and Increased Proliferation. Cancer Res. 2006 Sep 1;66(17):8469-76. PMID: 16951158