EpigenomesPub Date : 2025-09-19DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes9030036
Ambrose Loc Ngo, Linda Nguyen, Niki Gharavi Alkhansari, Huiping Zhang
{"title":"m<sup>6</sup>A RNA Methylation in Psychiatric Disorders: An Emerging Epitranscriptomic Axis.","authors":"Ambrose Loc Ngo, Linda Nguyen, Niki Gharavi Alkhansari, Huiping Zhang","doi":"10.3390/epigenomes9030036","DOIUrl":"10.3390/epigenomes9030036","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>N<sup>6</sup>-methyladenosine (m<sup>6</sup>A) is the most prevalent internal modification in eukaryotic messenger RNA (mRNA) and plays a vital role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. In recent years, m<sup>6</sup>A has emerged as a pivotal epitranscriptomic signal involved in neural development, synaptic remodeling, and the molecular pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms underlying the deposition, removal, and recognition of m<sup>6</sup>A by dedicated methyltransferases, demethylases, and RNA-binding proteins. We further explore how these dynamic modifications influence neuronal differentiation and memory formation. Recent studies have linked aberrant m<sup>6</sup>A regulation to psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Additionally, we discuss how pharmacological or genetic modulation of m<sup>6</sup>A pathways may promote adaptive neural plasticity and enhance cognitive and emotional resilience. Despite these promising findings, significant challenges remain in achieving spatial and temporal specificity while minimizing off-target effects in the brain. Therefore, we advocate for more in-depth investigations into m<sup>6</sup>A function within developmentally defined neural circuits to better understand its enduring role in maintaining neural homeostasis.</p>","PeriodicalId":55768,"journal":{"name":"Epigenomes","volume":"9 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12452703/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145114870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpigenomesPub Date : 2025-09-18DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes9030035
Thibaut Renard, Serge Aron
{"title":"Comparative Mapping of N6-Methyladenine, C5-Methylcytosine, and C5-Hydroxymethylcytosine in a Single Species Reveals Constitutive, Somatic- and Germline-Specific, and Age-Related Genomic Context Distributions and Biological Functions.","authors":"Thibaut Renard, Serge Aron","doi":"10.3390/epigenomes9030035","DOIUrl":"10.3390/epigenomes9030035","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>The DNA methylome allows environmental signals to be converted into stable and adaptive changes in gene expression. While 5-methylcytosine (5mC) has been extensively studied, alternative epigenetic marks such as N6-methyladenine (6mA) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) remain poorly understood. Comparative studies of these marks are rare, and their results are often confounded by phylogeny, tissue type, developmental stage, or methodology. Here, we aimed to disentangle the constitutive, somatic- and germline-specific, and/or age-related patterns displayed by 6mA, 5mC, and 5hmC within a single species.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We generated long-read nanopore sequencing data for somatic tissues of buff-tailed bumblebee (<i>Bombus terrestris</i>) males and their sperm, enabling simultaneous detection of 6mA, 5mC, and 5hmC. We used a stepwise approach to successively identify (i) constitutive patterns conserved between somatic tissues and sperm, (ii) differences between the soma and the germline, and (iii) age-related changes between young and old males.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found distinct constitutive, somatic and sperm, and age-related specific signatures in the genomic contexts, maintenance fidelity, and biological functions associated with 6mA, 5mC, and 5hmC. Sperm cells consistently displayed lower methylation entropy than did somatic tissues, indicating more stable methylation patterns in the germline. 5mC exhibited the greatest variation across all genomic contexts; 6mA and 5hmC displayed less dramatic differences. The influence of age was subtler but revealed context-dependent remodeling of methylation, particularly for 5hmC.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We observed that 6mA, 5mC, and 5hmC displayed constitutive, somatic- and sperm-specific, and age-related differences that were associated with distinct genomic contexts and biological functions, supporting the complementarity of these methylation marks and their diverging epigenetic roles.</p>","PeriodicalId":55768,"journal":{"name":"Epigenomes","volume":"9 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12452632/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145115187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpigenomesPub Date : 2025-09-05DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes9030034
Barbara Mitsuyasu Barbosa, Alexandre Todorovic Fabro, Roberto da Silva Gomes, Claudia Aparecida Rainho
{"title":"Deciphering the Heterogeneity of Pancreatic Cancer: DNA Methylation-Based Cell Type Deconvolution Unveils Distinct Subgroups and Immune Landscapes.","authors":"Barbara Mitsuyasu Barbosa, Alexandre Todorovic Fabro, Roberto da Silva Gomes, Claudia Aparecida Rainho","doi":"10.3390/epigenomes9030034","DOIUrl":"10.3390/epigenomes9030034","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background:</b> Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly heterogeneous malignancy, characterized by low tumor cellularity, a dense stromal response, and intricate cellular and molecular interactions within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Although bulk omics technologies have enhanced our understanding of the molecular landscape of PDAC, the specific contributions of non-malignant immune and stromal components to tumor progression and therapeutic response remain poorly understood. <b>Methods:</b> We explored genome-wide DNA methylation and transcriptomic data from the Cancer Genome Atlas Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma cohort (TCGA-PAAD) to profile the immune composition of the TME and uncover gene co-expression networks. Bioinformatic analyses included DNA methylation profiling followed by hierarchical deconvolution, epigenetic age estimation, and a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). <b>Results:</b> The unsupervised clustering of methylation profiles identified two major tumor groups, with Group 2 (n = 98) exhibiting higher tumor purity and a greater frequency of <i>KRAS</i> mutations compared to Group 1 (n = 87) (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). The hierarchical deconvolution of DNA methylation data revealed three distinct TME subtypes, termed hypo-inflamed (immune-deserted), myeloid-enriched, and lymphoid-enriched (notably T-cell predominant). These immune clusters were further supported by co-expression modules identified via WGCNA, which were enriched in immune regulatory and signaling pathways. <b>Conclusions:</b> This integrative epigenomic-transcriptomic analysis offers a robust framework for stratifying PDAC patients based on the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), providing valuable insights for biomarker discovery and the development of precision immunotherapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":55768,"journal":{"name":"Epigenomes","volume":"9 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12452622/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145114486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpigenomesPub Date : 2025-09-05DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes9030033
Yalong Wang
{"title":"Innate Immune Surveillance and Recognition of Epigenetic Marks.","authors":"Yalong Wang","doi":"10.3390/epigenomes9030033","DOIUrl":"10.3390/epigenomes9030033","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The innate immune system protects against infection and cellular damage by recognizing conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Emerging evidence suggests that aberrant epigenetic modifications-such as altered DNA methylation and histone marks-can serve as immunogenic signals that activate pattern recognition receptor (PRR)-mediated immune surveillance. This review explores the concept that epigenetic marks may function as DAMPs or even mimic PAMPs. I highlight how unmethylated CpG motifs, which are typically suppressed using host methylation, are recognized as foreign via Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). I also examine how cytosolic DNA sensors, including cGAS, detect mislocalized or hypomethylated self-DNA resulting from genomic instability. In addition, I discuss how extracellular histones and nucleosomes released during cell death or stress can act as DAMPs that engage TLRs and activate inflammasomes. In the context of cancer, I review how epigenetic dysregulation can induce a \"viral mimicry\" state, where reactivation of endogenous retroelements produces double-stranded RNA sensed by RIG-I and MDA5, triggering type I interferon responses. Finally, I address open questions and future directions, including how immune recognition of epigenetic alterations might be leveraged for cancer immunotherapy or regulated to prevent autoimmunity. By integrating recent findings, this review underscores the emerging concept of the epigenome as a target of innate immune recognition, bridging the fields of immunology, epigenetics, and cancer biology.</p>","PeriodicalId":55768,"journal":{"name":"Epigenomes","volume":"9 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12452350/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145114880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpigenomesPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes9030032
Agnieszka Lovett, Graham A Hitman, Georgios K Dimitriadis, Alice M Murphy, Gyanendra Tripathi, Aparna Duggirala
{"title":"An Epigenomic Meta-Analysis of Differentially Methylated Sites in Pre- and Post-Metabolic/Bariatric Surgery Adult Female Patients.","authors":"Agnieszka Lovett, Graham A Hitman, Georgios K Dimitriadis, Alice M Murphy, Gyanendra Tripathi, Aparna Duggirala","doi":"10.3390/epigenomes9030032","DOIUrl":"10.3390/epigenomes9030032","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>Metabolic/bariatric surgery is currently the most successful treatment for patients with obesity; however, a fifth of patients undergoing surgery may not lose enough weight to be considered successful. Recent studies have shown that bariatric/metabolic surgery alters the epigenome and may explain postoperative improvements in metabolic health. The primary objective is to consolidate published differentially methylated CpG sites in pre- and post-metabolic/bariatric surgery female patients and associate them with the respective genes and pathways.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This systematic review adhered to the PRISMA-P guidelines and was registered with the PROSPERO (CRD42023421852). Following an initial screening of 541 studies using COVIDENCE, six studies were selected, comprising three epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) and three candidate gene methylation studies. The published studies collected DNA samples from female patients with obesity before and after surgery (3 months, 6 months, 9-31 months, and 2 years). KEGG pathway analysis was performed on genes where the extracted CpG sites were located.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The meta-analysis showed that 11,456 CpG sites are differentially methylated after a successful weight loss surgery, with 109 sites mapped to genes involved in key metabolic pathways, including FoxO, mTOR, insulin, cAMP, adipocytokine, Toll-like receptor, and PI3K-Akt.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The highlighted differentially methylated CpG sites can be further used to predict the molecular signature associated with successful metabolic/bariatric surgery.</p>","PeriodicalId":55768,"journal":{"name":"Epigenomes","volume":"9 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12452392/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145115162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpigenomesPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes9030031
Niraj Lodhi, Rakesh Srivastava
{"title":"Dynamics and Malleability of Plant DNA Methylation During Abiotic Stresses.","authors":"Niraj Lodhi, Rakesh Srivastava","doi":"10.3390/epigenomes9030031","DOIUrl":"10.3390/epigenomes9030031","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Epigenetic regulation, particularly DNA methylation, plays a crucial role in plant adaptation to environmental stresses by modulating gene expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence. In response to major abiotic stresses such as salinity, drought, heat, cold, and heavy metal toxicity, plants undergo dynamic changes in DNA methylation patterns. These modifications are orchestrated by DNA methyltransferases and demethylases with variations depending on plant species, genetic background, and ontogenic phase. DNA methylation affects the expression of key genes involved in cellular, physiological, and metabolic processes essential for stress tolerance. Furthermore, it contributes to the establishment of stress memory, which can be transmitted across generations, thereby enhancing long-term plant resilience. The interaction of DNA methylation with other epigenetic mechanisms, including histone modifications, small RNAs, and chromatin remodeling, adds layers of regulatory complexity. Recent discoveries concerning N6-methyladenine have opened new avenues for understanding the epigenetic landscape in plant responses to abiotic stress. Overall, this review addresses the central role of DNA methylation in regulating plant stress responses and emphasizes its potential for application in crop improvement through epigenetic and advanced biotechnological approaches.</p>","PeriodicalId":55768,"journal":{"name":"Epigenomes","volume":"9 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12452645/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145114509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpigenomesPub Date : 2025-08-14DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes9030030
Christina Stylianides, Gavriel Hadjigavriel, Paschalis Theotokis, Efstratios Vakirlis, Soultana Meditskou, Maria Eleni Manthou, Iasonas Dermitzakis
{"title":"Epigenetic Mechanisms in Neurofibromatosis Types 1 and 2.","authors":"Christina Stylianides, Gavriel Hadjigavriel, Paschalis Theotokis, Efstratios Vakirlis, Soultana Meditskou, Maria Eleni Manthou, Iasonas Dermitzakis","doi":"10.3390/epigenomes9030030","DOIUrl":"10.3390/epigenomes9030030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neurocutaneous syndromes, known as phakomatoses, encompass a diverse group of congenital conditions affecting the nervous system and skin, with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) among the most clinically significant. Both disorders are inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. NF1 presents with café-au-lait macules; cutaneous, subcutaneous, and plexiform neurofibromas; skeletal abnormalities; learning disabilities; and optic pathway gliomas, while NF2 is characterised by bilateral vestibular schwannomas, multiple meningiomas, ependymomas, and peripheral nerve schwannomas. Although germline mutations in the <i>NF1</i> and <i>NF2</i> tumour suppressor genes are well established, they do not fully explain the broad clinical variability observed, even among individuals carrying identical mutations. As increasingly recognised in other genetic diseases, epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin remodelling, and non-coding RNA (ncRNA) regulation, play a critical role in modulating gene expression and influencing disease severity. Despite important findings, the research remains fragmented, and a unified model is lacking. This review organises the current knowledge, emphasising how epigenetic alterations impact disease behaviour and outlining their potential as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. A deeper understanding of these mechanisms could lead to improved personalised management and the development of targeted epigenetic therapies for individuals with NF1 and NF2.</p>","PeriodicalId":55768,"journal":{"name":"Epigenomes","volume":"9 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12372142/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144979655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpigenomesPub Date : 2025-08-08DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes9030029
Claudia E Rübe, Mutaz A Abd Al-Razaq, Carola Meier, Markus Hecht, Christian Rübe
{"title":"Role of Ionizing Radiation in Shaping the Complex Multi-Layered Epigenome.","authors":"Claudia E Rübe, Mutaz A Abd Al-Razaq, Carola Meier, Markus Hecht, Christian Rübe","doi":"10.3390/epigenomes9030029","DOIUrl":"10.3390/epigenomes9030029","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The impact of ionizing radiation (IR) with induction of various DNA damage is based not only on genetic but also on epigenetic effects. Epigenetic modifications determine the chromatin structure and DNA accessibility, thereby regulating cellular functions through the expression of individual genes or entire groups of genes. However, the influence of DNA repair processes on the restoration of local chromatin structures and global nuclear architectures is still insufficiently understood. In multicellular organisms, epigenetic mechanisms control diverse cellular functions of specific cell types through precise temporal and spatial regulation of gene expression and silencing. How altered epigenetic mechanisms regulate the pathophysiological function of cells, tissues, and ultimately entire organs following IR exposure remains to be investigated in detail. Radiation-induced epigenetic processes are particularly critical for immature cell populations such as tissue-specific stem and progenitor cells during development and differentiation of organ tissues. Genome-wide patterns of DNA and histone modifications are established cell types-specifically during the development and differentiation of organ tissues but can also be fundamentally altered in adult organism by stress responses, such as radiation-induced DNA damage. Following IR exposure, epigenetic factors are not always fully restored to their original state, resulting in epigenetic dysfunction that causes cells to lose their original identity and function. Moreover, severe radiation-induced DNA damage can induce premature senescence of cells in complex tissues, which ultimately leads to signs of aging and age-related diseases such as cancer. In this work, we provide an overview of the most important epigenetic changes following IR exposure and their pathophysiological significance for the development of acute and chronic radiation reactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":55768,"journal":{"name":"Epigenomes","volume":"9 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12372155/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144979679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpigenomesPub Date : 2025-08-07DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes9030028
Nadezhda P Babushkina, Elena Yu Bragina, Densema E Gomboeva, Iuliia A Koroleva, Sergey N Illarioshkin, Sergey A Klyushnikov, Nataliya Yu Abramycheva, Maria A Nikitina, Valentina M Alifirova, Nikolai V Litviakov, Marina K Ibragimova, Matvey M Tsyganov, Irina A Tsydenova, Aleksei A Zarubin, Irina A Goncharova, Maria V Golubenko, Ramil R Salakhov, Aleksei A Sleptcov, Aksana N Kucher, Maria S Nazarenko, Valery P Puzyrev
{"title":"DNA Methylation Status of Regulatory Regions of Apoptosis-Associated Genes in Dystropy «Huntington's Disease-Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer».","authors":"Nadezhda P Babushkina, Elena Yu Bragina, Densema E Gomboeva, Iuliia A Koroleva, Sergey N Illarioshkin, Sergey A Klyushnikov, Nataliya Yu Abramycheva, Maria A Nikitina, Valentina M Alifirova, Nikolai V Litviakov, Marina K Ibragimova, Matvey M Tsyganov, Irina A Tsydenova, Aleksei A Zarubin, Irina A Goncharova, Maria V Golubenko, Ramil R Salakhov, Aleksei A Sleptcov, Aksana N Kucher, Maria S Nazarenko, Valery P Puzyrev","doi":"10.3390/epigenomes9030028","DOIUrl":"10.3390/epigenomes9030028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background.</b> Studies of comorbid (syntropic) and inversely comorbid (rarely occurring together, i.e., dystropic) diseases have focused on the search for molecular causes of this phenomenon. <b>Materials.</b> We investigated DNA methylation levels in regulatory regions of 23 apoptosis-associated genes as candidate loci associated with the \"cancer-neurodegeneration\" dystropy in patients with Huntington's disease (HD) and patients with non-small cell lung cancer (LC). <b>Results.</b> Statistically significant differences in methylation levels between the HD and LC groups were found for 41 CpG sites in 16 genes. The results show that five genes (<i>SETDB1</i>, <i>TWIST1</i>, <i>HDAC1</i>, <i>SP1</i>, and <i>GRIA2</i>) are probably involved in the phenomenon of inverse comorbidity of these diseases. For these genes, the methylation levels of the studied CpG sites were altered in opposite directions in the two groups of patients, compared to the control group. <b>Conclusions.</b> For the <i>SP1</i> gene, the above hypothesis is supported by our analysis of open-access data on gene expression in patients with the aforementioned diagnoses and fits a probable mechanism of the \"HD-LC\" dystropy.</p>","PeriodicalId":55768,"journal":{"name":"Epigenomes","volume":"9 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12371915/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144979664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EpigenomesPub Date : 2025-07-28DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes9030027
Arif Ul Hasan, Sachiko Sato, Mami Obara, Yukiko Kondo, Eiichi Taira
{"title":"Targeting the Kynureninase-HDAC6-Complement Axis as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy in Glioblastoma.","authors":"Arif Ul Hasan, Sachiko Sato, Mami Obara, Yukiko Kondo, Eiichi Taira","doi":"10.3390/epigenomes9030027","DOIUrl":"10.3390/epigenomes9030027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background/Objectives:</b> Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor known for its profound heterogeneity and treatment resistance. Dysregulated complement signaling and epigenetic alterations have been implicated in GBM progression. This study identifies kynureninase (KYNU), a key enzyme in the kynurenine pathway, as a novel regulator of complement components and investigates its interaction with histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) in the context of therapeutic targeting. <b>Methods:</b> KYNU expression, and its association with complement signaling in GBM, were analyzed using publicly available datasets (TCGA, GTEx, HPA). Pathway enrichment was performed via LinkedOmics. In vitro studies in GBM cell lines (U87, U251, T98G) assessed the effects of KYNU silencing and treatment with an HDAC6 inhibitor (tubastatin) and a BET inhibitor (apabetalone) on gene expression and cell viability. <b>Results:</b> Bioinformatic analyses revealed significant overexpression of KYNU in GBM tissues compared to normal brain tissue. KYNU expression was positively associated with genes involved in complement and coagulation cascades. In vitro experiments demonstrated that KYNU silencing reduced the expression of C3, C3AR1, and C5AR1 and suppressed GBM cell viability. Treatment with tubastatin, while reducing viability, paradoxically upregulated complement genes, suggesting potential limitations in therapeutic efficacy. However, this effect was mitigated by KYNU knockdown. Combined treatment with apabetalone and tubastatin effectively suppressed KYNU expression and enhanced cytotoxicity, particularly in cells with high complement expression. <b>Conclusions:</b> Our findings establish the KYNU-HDAC6-complement axis as a critical regulatory pathway in GBM. Targeting KYNU-mediated complement activation through combined epigenetic approaches-such as HDAC6 and BET inhibition-represents a promising strategy to overcome complement-driven resistance in GBM therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":55768,"journal":{"name":"Epigenomes","volume":"9 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12372027/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144979650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}