Hypomethylation of the treg-specific demethylated region in FOXP3 is a hallmark of the regulatory T-cell subtype in adult T-cell leukemia

Yayoi Shimazu, Yutaka Shimazu, Masakatsu Hishizawa, Masahide Hamaguchi, Yuya Nagai, Noriko Sugino, Sumie Fujii, Masahiro Kawahara, Norimitsu Kadowaki, Hiroyoshi Nishikawa, Shimon Sakaguchi, Akifumi Takaori-Kondo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is an aggressive T-cell malignancy caused by human T-cell leukemia virus type 1. Because of its immunosuppressive property and resistance to treatment, patients with ATL have poor prognoses. ATL cells possess the regulatory T cell (Treg) phenotype, such as CD4 and CD25, and usually express forkhead box P3 (FOXP3). However, the mechanisms of FOXP3 expression and its association with Treg-like characteristics in ATL remain unclear. Selective demethylation of the Treg-specific demethylated region (TSDR) in the FOXP3 gene leads to stable FOXP3 expression and defines natural Tregs. Here, we focus on the functional and clinical relationship between the epigenetic pattern of the TSDR and ATL. Analysis of DNA methylation in specimens from 26 patients with ATL showed that 15 patients (58%) hypomethylated the TSDR. The FOXP3+ cells were mainly observed in the TSDR-hypomethylated cases. The TSDR-hypomethylated ATL cells exerted more suppressive function than the TSDR-methylated ATL cells. Thus, the epigenetic analysis of the FOXP3 gene identified a distinct subtype with Treg properties in heterogeneous ATL. Furthermore, we observed that the hypomethylation of TSDR was associated with poor outcomes in ATL. These results suggest that the DNA methylation status of the TSDR is an important hallmark to define this heterogeneous disease and to predict ATL patient prognosis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)136-145
Number of pages10
JournalCancer Immunology Research
Volume4
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 02-2016
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Medicine

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