Germline allele-specific expression of DAPK1 in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Abstract

We previously reported a rare germline variant (c.1-6531) that resulted in allele-specific expression (ASE) of death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) and predisposition to chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We investigated a cohort of CLL patients lacking this mutation for the presence of ASE of DAPK1. We developed a novel strategy that combines single-nucleotide primer extension (SNuPE) with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, and detected germline DAPK1 ASE in 17 out of 120 (14.2%) CLL patients associated with a trend towards younger age at diagnosis. ASE was absent in 63 healthy controls. Germline cells of CLL patients with ASE showed increased levels of DNA methylation in the promoter region, however, neither genetic nor further epigenetic aberrations could be identified in the DAPK1 5' upstream regulatory region, within distinct exons or in the 3'-UTR. We identified B-lymphoid malignancy related cell line models harboring allelic imbalance and found that allele-specific methylation in DAPK1 is associated with ASE. Our data indicate that ASE at the DAPK1 gene locus is a recurrent event, mediated by epigenetic mechanisms and potentially predisposing to CLL.

• Authors: Quan-Xiang Wei, Rainer Claus, Thomas Hielscher, Daniel Mertens, Aparna Raval, Christopher C Oakes, Stephan M Tanner, Albert de la Chapelle, John C Byrd, Stephan Stilgenbauer, Christoph Plass
• Journal: PloS one (PLoS One) Vol. 8 Issue 1 Pg. e55261 ( 2013) ISSN: 1932-6203 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 23383130 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins
• DNA Primers
• DAPK1 protein, human
• Death-Associated Protein Kinases
• Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases

Topics

• Age Factors
• Alleles
• Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins (genetics, metabolism)
• Base Sequence
• Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases (genetics, metabolism)
• Cohort Studies
• DNA Methylation
• DNA Primers (genetics)
• Death-Associated Protein Kinases
• Germ-Line Mutation (genetics)
• Germany
• High-Throughput Screening Assays (methods)
• Humans
• Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell (metabolism)
• Molecular Sequence Data
• Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
• Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
• Sequence Analysis, DNA
• Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization