Inhibitors of DNA methyltransferases (DNMT) and histone deacetylases can reactivate epigenetically silenced tumor suppressor genes and thereby decrease tumor cell growth. Little, however, is known on the effects of these compounds in endothelial cell biology and tumor angiogenesis. Here, we show that the DNMT inhibitors 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine and zebularine markedly decrease vessel formation in...

objective:glioblastoma is an invasive tumor of the central nervous system. epigenetic therapy of cancer is potentially very useful in reversing some of cancer defects due to reversibility of epigenetic alterations. meg3 is a tumor suppressor long non-coding rna (lncrna) that expresses in the majority of normal tissues. methylation of the meg3 promoter region elicits a decrease in its expression...

HIV-infected subjects on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) are susceptible to comorbid microbial infections in the oral cavity. We observed that primary oral epithelial cells (POECs) isolated from HIV+ subjects on HAART grow more slowly and are less innate immune responsive to microbial challenge when compared with POECs from normal subjects. These aberrant cells also demonstrate epi...

Dietary polyphenolic compounds have been reported to have many interesting biological activities, including the induction of epigenetic changes and cancer prevention. In searching for the mechanisms of the anti-cancer action of (–)–epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenolic compound in green tea, we observed the inhibition of DNAmethyltransferase (DNMT) activity by EGCG.1 Treatme...

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism for gene silencing engaged by DNA methyltransferase (Dnmt)-catalyzed methyl group transfer to cytosine residues in gene-regulatory regions. It is unknown whether aberrant DNA methylation can cause neurodegeneration. We tested the hypothesis that Dnmts can mediate neuronal cell death. Enforced expression of Dnmt3a induced degeneration of cultured NSC34 ...

Drug addiction is considered an aberrant form of learning, and drug-associated memories evoked by the presence of associated stimuli (drug context or drug-related cues) contribute to recurrent craving and reinstatement. Epigenetic changes mediated by DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) have been implicated in the reconsolidation of fear memory. Here, we investigated the role of DNMT activity in the re...

Regulatory T cells (Treg) are critical in maintaining immune tolerance and suppressing autoimmunity. The transcription factor Foxp3 serves as a master switch that controls the development and function of Treg. Foxp3 expression is epigenetically regulated by DNA methylation, and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitors can induce Foxp3 expression in naive CD4(+) T cells. We showed that EGCG, a ma...

Preeclampsia (PE) is a severe pregnancy-induced disorder characterized by hypertension and proteinuria and a leading cause of perinatal maternal-fetal mortality and morbidity in developing countries. Dysregulated human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G was found in placentas as well as in maternal sera from PE patients; however, the reason for this difference is unknown. As accumulating evidence has co...

Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate (TDCIPP) is a high-production volume organophosphate-based plasticizer and flame retardant widely used within the United States. Using zebrafish as a model, the objectives of this study were to determine whether (1) TDCIPP inhibits DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) within embryonic nuclear extracts; (2) uptake of TDCIPP from 0.75 h postfertilization (hpf, 2-cell)...