FASEB J. Thermo Fisher Scientific
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     


This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by TORRES, L.
Right arrow Articles by MATO, J. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by TORRES, L.
Right arrow Articles by MATO, J. M.
(The FASEB Journal. 2000;14:95-102.)
© 2000 FASEB

Liver-specific methionine adenosyltransferase MAT1A gene expression is associated with a specific pattern of promoter methylation and histone acetylation: implications for MAT1A silencing during transformation

LUIS TORRES*,1, MATÍAS A. ÁVILA*,1, M. VICTORIA CARRETERO*, M. UJUE LATASA*, JOAN CABALLERÍA{dagger}, GERARDO LÓPEZ-RODAS{ddagger}, ABDELHALIM BOUKABA{ddagger}, SHELLY C. LU§, LUIS FRANCO{ddagger} and JOSÉ M. MATO*2

* División de Hepatología y Terapia Génica, Departamento de Medicina Interna, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain;
{dagger} Servicio de Hepatología, Hospital Clínico y Provincial, 08036 Barcelona, Spain;
{ddagger} Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Valencia, Burjassot, 46100 València, Spain; and
§ Center for Liver Disease Research and Division of Gastrointestinal Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA

2Correspondence: División de Hepatología y Terapia Génica, Departamento de Medicina Interna. Facultad de Medicina. Universidad de Navarra. 31008, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain. Tel: 34–948-425678. Fax: 34–948-425677. E-mail: jmmato{at}unav.es


   ABSTRACT
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES
 
Methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) is the enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet), the main donor of methyl groups in the cell. In mammals MAT is the product of two genes, MAT1A and MAT2A. MAT1A is expressed only in the mature liver whereas fetal hepatocytes, extrahepatic tissues and liver cancer cells express MAT2A. The mechanisms behind the tissue and differentiation state specific MAT1A expression are not known. In the present work we examined MAT1A promoter methylation status by means of methylation sensitive restriction enzyme analysis. Our data indicate that MAT1A promoter is hypomethylated in liver and hypermethylated in kidney and fetal rat hepatocytes, indicating that this modification is tissue specific and developmentally regulated. Immunoprecipitation of mononucleosomes from liver and kidney tissues with antibodies mainly specific to acetylated histone H4 and subsequent Southern blot analysis with a MAT1A promoter probe demonstrated that MAT1A expression is linked to elevated levels of chromatin acetylation. Early changes in MAT1A methylation are already observed in the precancerous cirrhotic livers from rats, which show reduced MAT1A expression. Human hepatoma cell lines in which MAT1A is not expressed were also hypermethylated at this locus. Finally we demonstrate that MAT1A expression is reactivated in the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 treated with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine or the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin, suggesting a role for DNA hypermethylation and histone deacetylation in MAT1A silencing.—Torres, L., Ávila, M. A., Carretero, M. V., Latasa, M. U., Caballería, J., López-Rodas, G., Boukaba, A., Lu, S. C., Franco, L., Mato, J. M. Liver-specific methionine adenosyltransferase MAT1A gene expression is associated with a specific pattern of promoter methylation and histone acetylation: implications for MAT1A silencing during transformation.


Key Words: S-adenosylmethionine synthesis • DNA methylation • tissue-specific expression • liver cirrhosis • hepatocarcinoma


   INTRODUCTION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES
 
METHIONINE ADENOSYLTRANSFERASE (MAT) is an essential enzyme that catalyzes the formation of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet), the most important methyl donor in cellular metabolism (1 , 2) . MAT activity in mammals is the product of two genes, MAT1A and MAT2A, which display a tissue-specific pattern of expression. MAT1A is expressed only in the adult liver whereas MAT2A shows a wider distribution, being responsible for AdoMet synthesis in the extrahepatic tissues (reviewed in ref 2 ). In addition, MAT2A is expressed in the fetal liver, where it is replaced by MAT1A upon maturation of this organ (3) . Similarly, in the transformed hepatocyte, a switch in MAT gene expression is observed and the dedifferentiated hepatoma cell mimics the fetal pattern by expressing MAT2A in place of the liver-specific MAT1A (4) . This switch in MAT gene expression appears to confer a growth advantage to the tumor cell (5) .

Although all this evidence clearly establishes that MAT1A is a tissue-specific gene silenced outside the liver and in situations such as development and malignant transformation, the mechanisms behind this tightly controlled pattern of expression are not known. CpG methylation in mammalian DNA has been linked for many years to the establishment of tissue-specific patterns of gene expression (6 , 7) . However, the molecular mechanisms underlying methylation-dependent repression of gene expression have only recently been elucidated. The recruitment of histone deacetylase, by means of methylated DNA binding proteins such as MeCP2, seems to be critical for assembly of the methylated sequences into a condensed state (8 , 9) . This situation renders the promoter regions inaccessible to the transcription machinery and thus can block transcription (10 11 12) . In light of these recent developments, we have searched for the molecular mechanisms that may explain the tissue- and differentiation stage-specific expression of MAT1A.


   MATERIALS AND METHODS
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES
 
General procedures
Fetal rat hepatocytes (gestational day 19) were prepared by collagenase digestion of pooled fetal livers as reported previously (3) . The human hepatoma cell line HepG2 was grown in DMEM medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum, glutamine, and antibiotics. Treatments were performed on exponentially growing cultures. Total RNA from cells and tissues was obtained by the guanidinium thiocyanate method. Aliquots (20 µg) of total RNA were size fractioned by electrophoresis in agarose gels under denaturing conditions, blotted, and fixed on Nytran (Schleicher and Schuell, Keene, N.H.) membranes using standard procedures. Blots were prehybridized and hybridized as described (13) . Human and rat MAT1A cDNAs probes (14 , 15) were labeled with [{alpha}-32P]dCTP (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Amersham, U.K.) by random priming. Hybridization with a probe for 18S rRNA was performed as loading control. Membranes were then exposed to X-ray films. Genomic DNA was prepared as described previously (16) . Aliquots of high molecular weight DNA (10 µg) were digested to completion with restriction enzymes (Boehringer Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany), loaded on agarose gels, electrophoresed, and blotted onto Nytran membranes as described (17) . Hybridizations were carried out with a 1.4 kb SspI-SmaI probe derived from the rat MAT1A promoter (probe 1) (18) or with the human MAT1A full-length cDNA (15) labeled with [{alpha}-32P]dCTP. Membranes were then exposed to X-ray films.

Induction of cirrhosis
Male Wistar rats (250 g) were fed ad libitum a standard laboratory diet and received humane care according to our institution’s guidelines for the use of laboratory animals in research. Cirrhosis was induced by intraperitoneal injections of CCl4 (0.5 ml administered twice a week) as described previously (19) . The establishment of cirrhosis was monitored by histological examination of liver sections from treated animals (19) . Rats were killed after 9 wk of treatment by cardiac puncture and exsanguination.

Nuclei isolation
Liver and kidney from Wistar rats were placed in buffer A (0.25M sucrose, 10 mM NaCl, 5 mM MgCl2, 2 mM EDTA, 0.2% Triton X-100, 2 mM p-aminobenzamidine, 1 mM PMSF, 2.5 µg/ml leupeptin, 1.5 µg/ml chymostatin, 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5) at a ratio of 5 ml buffer per gram of tissue. All the steps were carried out at 4°C. Tissues were homogenized on ice; after filtration of the homogenates through 200 and 100 µM nylon filters, nuclei were collected by centrifugation at 1500 x g for 5 min and the sediment was washed twice in buffer B (buffer A without Triton and EDTA). Nuclear pellets were resuspended in the same buffer and placed on a discontinuous sucrose gradient (0.75 M/1.75 M) in buffer B. After centrifugation at 10,000 x g for 30 min, nuclei were collected from the 1.75 M sucrose cushion and washed twice with buffer B.

Micrococcal nuclease digestion
Nuclei were resuspended in digestion buffer (0.25 M sucrose, 10 mM NaCl, 3 mM MgCl2, 1 mM CaCl2, 10 mM sodium butyrate, 2 mM p-aminobenzamidine, 1 mM PMSF, 2.5 µg/ml leupeptin, 1.5 µg/ml chymostatin, 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5) at a concentration of 5 mg DNA/milliliter. Nuclei from liver were digested with micrococcal nuclease (Worthington, Freehold, N.J.) at 15 u per mg DNA and nuclei from kidney with 20 u per mg DNA for 10 min at 37°C. The digestion was stopped by adding EDTA to a final concentration of 5 mM and the samples were cooled on ice and centrifuged at 12,000 x g for 10 min. The supernatant was saved and the pellet was resuspended in lysis buffer (0.25 mM EDTA, 10 mM sodium butyrate, 2 mM p-aminobenzamidine, 1 mM PMSF, 2.5 µg/ml leupeptin, 1.5 µg/ml chymostatin, 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5) incubated 10 min on ice and recentrifuged as above. The first and second supernatants were pooled and analyzed on agarose gels to determine the extent of the micrococcal digestion.

Production of antisera to hyperacetylated histone H4 and antibody purification
Polyclonal antisera to hyperacetylated H4 were raised by immunization with a synthetic peptide corresponding to residues 2–19 of histone H4 and acetylated in the {varepsilon}-amino groups of lysines 5, 8, 12, and 16. The acetylated peptide was custom-synthesized by Genosys and coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (20) . The immunoglobulin (IgG) fraction was purified by HiTrap protein-A FPLC chromatography according to the manufacturer (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech).

Immunofractionation of nucleosomes
Immunofractionation of nucleosomes obtained by micrococcal nuclease digestion of nuclei were performed essentially as described previously (21) . FPLC-purified antibody (500 µg of IgG) dissolved in fractionation buffer (50 mM NaCl, 10 mM sodium butyrate, 1 mM EDTA, 0.2 mM p-aminobenzamidine, 0.1 mM PMSF, 2.5 µg/ml leupeptin, 1.5 µg/ml chymostatin, 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5) was incubated with 100 mg of protein A Sepharose prewashed with fractionation buffer for 3 h at 4°C under gentle rotation. The protein A Sepharose-bound antibody was mixed with 2 mg of soluble chromatin in a final volume of 3 ml of fractionation buffer and incubated overnight with gentle rotation at 4°C. The immunocomplexes were collected by centrifugation (6500 x g, 1 min) on a 0.65 µM Ultrafree filter unit (Millipore) and the filtered through fraction was removed and stored on ice. Protein A Sepharose beads were washed eight times with 500 µl of fractionation buffer as before and filtrates were pooled together (unbound fraction). Antibody-bound fraction was eluted from protein A Sepharose by addition of 400 µl of 1.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in fractionation buffer and rotated for 15 min at room temperature. After centrifugation as before, the eluate was saved and protein A Sepharose was reincubated for another 15 min period with 400 µl of 0.5% SDS in fractionation buffer. The two eluates (bound fraction) were pooled. DNA from all chromatin fractions (input, unbound, and bound) was purified and quantitated by fluorescence with PicoGreen dye (Molecular Probes, Eugene, Oreg.).

Slot-blot and hybridization analysis
DNA samples were denatured in 0.5 M NaOH, 1.5 M NaCl for 10 min at 37°C, followed by 1 min at 95°C and then kept on ice. 150 ng of DNA from each fraction were loaded through a slot-blot manifold (Bio-Rad, Hercules, Calif.) on a Biodyne B membrane (Pall) prewetted in 2x SSC. The filters were immersed in denaturation solution for 5 min, neutralized in 1.5 M NaCl, 1 mM EDTA, 0.5 M Tris-HCl, pH 7.5 for 30 s and the membranes were dried by baking at 80°C for 30 min. Hybridizations were carried out using a 750 bp MspI-SmaI probe derived from MAT1A promoter (probe 2). The probe was labeled by random priming. Filters were prehybridized for 2 h and hybridized overnight using Quick Hyb solution (Stratagene, San Diego, Calif.) at 65°C in the presence of 200 µg of heat-denatured salmon sperm DNA. Filters were rinsed in 2x SSC, 0.1% SDS and washed sequentially twice with 2x SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65°C for 5 min, once with 2x SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65°C for 30 min, and once with 0.2x SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65°C for 20 min. The radioactivity present in the filters was initially measured with an InstantImager (Packard, Downers Grove, Ill.) and the filters were then autoradiographed.


   RESULTS
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES
 
As mentioned, MAT1A is expressed only in liver but is silenced in all other tissues. We first evaluated whether this pattern of expression correlated with the methylation status of MAT1A promoter in liver and extrahepatic tissues such as the kidney. For this purpose, we used the methylation-sensitive restriction isoschizomers MspI and HpaII. Both enzymes recognize the sequence CCGG, but HpaII cannot cleave if the internal C is methylated whereas methylation at the external C is inhibitory for both enzymes (22) . Two MspI/HpaII restriction sites are present in the reported 5'-flanking region of rat MAT1A (18) (Fig. 1A ). Genomic DNA samples from rat liver and kidney were sequentially digested with the methylation-insensitive enzyme SspI and either MspI or HpaII. Southern blot analysis was then carried out using a 1.4 kb SspI-SmaI probe from rat MAT1A promoter (probe 1 in Fig. 1A ). DNA from liver was unmethylated as indicated by the presence of two fragments of 0.64 and 0.75 kb, respectively, consistent with cleavage at the MspI/HpaII sites by both enzymes (Fig. 1B ). In the case of kidney DNA, MspI treatment resulted in the same pattern obtained in liver, but HpaII could not cleave with the same efficiency observed in hepatic tissue and generated higher molecular weight bands (Fig. 1B ). These results are consistent with hypomethylation of the cytosines located at positions -13 and -755 of MAT1A promoter in liver and enhanced levels of methylation of these two sites in kidney DNA. Other tissues examined, such as spleen and heart, generated the same restriction pattern observed in the kidney (data not shown).



View larger version (36K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 1. Analysis of the methylation and histone acetylation status of the 5' region of MAT1A gene in rat liver and kidney. A) Restriction map of MAT1A promoter indicating the location of MspI/HpaII restriction sites and the probes used in the experiments represented here and in subsequent figures. Probe 1 is a 1.4 kb SspI-MspI fragment and probe 2 is a 0.75 kb MspI-SmaI fragment, both derived from rat MAT1A promoter. B) Southern blot analysis of rat liver and kidney genomic DNA after digestion with SspI and MspI (M) or HpaII (H), performed with probe 1 derived from MAT1A promoter. The migration of molecular weight markers is indicated (MWM). Lower panel shows the levels of MAT1A expression in liver and kidney as assayed by Northern blotting with a rat cDNA probe. Ethidium bromide staining of the gel is shown as loading control. C) Mononucleosomes from liver and kidney were prepared and immunoprecipitated with antibodies specific mainly to acetylated histone H4, as described in Materials and Methods. DNA was extracted from input, unbound, and bound fractions; equal amounts were loaded and analyzed by slot-blot hybridization with probe 2 from MAT1A promoter. Quantitation of the radioactivity incorporated in each slot is also shown. Representative autoradiograms are shown.

The mechanism of gene silencing by means of cytosine methylation has been recently worked out through the implication of histone deacetylation (8 , 9) . We wanted to ascertain the degree of acetylation displayed in vivo by the histones associated with MAT1A promoter in the liver and kidney and whether this covalent modification correlated with the degree of promoter methylation. Mononucleosomes obtained from both tissues were immunoprecipitated with an antibody mainly specific to acetylated histone H4, as described in Materials and Methods. DNA was extracted from the input, unbound, and bound fractions; equal amounts from each fraction were immobilized onto nylon membranes by slot-blot and hybridized with a 750 bp probe derived from the 5'-flanking region of rat liver MAT1A gene, close to the transcription initiation site (probe 2 in Fig. 1A ). The intensity of signal from the antibody-bound slot relative to the intensity from the input slot gives the enrichment generated by the antibody selection. Our data show a strong enrichment (10- to 15-fold) in the bound fraction compared to the input fraction in liver, where the gene is actively transcribed. However, no preferential selection by the antibody was observed in the kidney, indicating the absence of hyperacetylation in this region of MAT1A in a tissue where the gene is not expressed.

We have also analyzed MAT1A promoter methylation in developing rat hepatocytes. Genomic DNA was isolated from fetal rat hepatocytes corresponding to gestational day 19, when MAT1A expression is negligible (Fig. 2 ) (3) , and then digested with SspI and MspI or HpaII. The restriction pattern obtained with probe 1 indicated that in the developing hepatocyte the MAT1A promoter is hypermethylated, as evidenced by the appearance of high molecular weight bands in the HpaII-treated samples (Fig. 2) . This pattern was identical to that obtained in extrahepatic tissues, where MAT1A is not expressed.



View larger version (28K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 2. Methylation status of MAT1A promoter in adult and fetal rat hepatocytes. Genomic DNA was extracted from adult liver and fetal hepatocytes isolated from embryonic liver (corresponding to gestational day 19). DNA samples were digested with SspI and either MspI (M) or HpaII (H) and subsequently analyzed by Southern blotting using probe 1 described in Fig. 1 . The migration of molecular weight markers (MWM) is indicated. Lower panel shows the expression of MAT1A in adult rat liver and fetal hepatocytes obtained from gestational day 19 embryos as analyzed by Northern blotting with a rat MAT1A cDNA probe. Ethidium bromide staining of the gel is shown as loading control.

A significant number of cirrhotic patients develop hepatocellular carcinoma, thus, the cirrhotic liver could be considered to be in a precancerous condition (23 , 24) . This notion along with our previous observation of MAT1A silencing in transformed liver (4) led us to evaluate MAT1A expression in a rat model of CCl4-induced cirrhosis. In agreement with our previous results (19) , no large changes were observed in MAT1A mRNA levels, although a significant trend toward a reduction in the hepatic content of this messenger was observed (Fig. 3A ). MAT1A promoter methylation was evaluated in control and cirrhotic livers using the same strategy described above. High molecular weight bands were detected in the HpaII-digested samples from cirrhotic rat liver, which is consistent with enhanced methylation of the MspI/HpaII sites in MAT1A promoter (Fig. 3B ).



View larger version (59K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 3. Expression and methylation status of MAT1A promoter in liver from control and CCl4-treated cirrhotic rats. A) Levels of MAT1A mRNA in liver of control and cirrhotic rats as assayed by Northern blotting. Data are the average of four animals per group. Signal was normalized to 18S ribosomal RNA in each lane. Differences between control and cirrhotic groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). Representative blots are shown. B) Genomic DNA samples from livers of control and cirrhotic animals were digested with SspI and MspI (M) or HpaII (H) and analyzed by Southern blotting using probe 1 corresponding to MAT1A promoter as described in Fig. 1 . A representative blot is shown.

As mentioned before, transformed hepatic cells lose MAT1A expression (4) . We have tested whether the silencing of MAT1A in this condition is accompanied by changes in MAT1A methylation. Since the human MAT1A promoter has not been cloned, we performed MspI/HpaII restriction analysis using a full-length human MAT1A cDNA clone as a probe (15) . As observed in Fig. 3A , HpaII treatment of normal human liver yielded low molecular weight bands that were absent in the transformed hepatic cells. This result indicates hypermethylation at the internal C of CCGG sites of MAT1A in HepG2 cells. Similar results consistent with hypermethylation of MAT1A were obtained in Hep3B cells, another human hepatoma cell line in which MAT1A is also silenced (data not shown). To test whether this epigenetic modification could play a role in MAT1A silencing, we tried to modify the methylation status of this cell line by treatment with the demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR) (25) . For this purpose, HepG2 cells were incubated with 0.1 µM 5-Aza-CdR for 24 or 48 h and MAT1A expression was assessed by Northern blotting. Under these conditions, MAT1A expression was induced after 48 h of treatment (Fig. 4B ). It has recently been established that methylation-dependent gene silencing involves histone deacetylation (8 , 9) . These observations led us to evaluate the effect of the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (26) on MAT1A expression in HepG2 cells. In this case, 24 h of treatment with 3 µM trichostatin A was sufficient to induce MAT1A mRNA as detected by Northern blotting (Fig. 4B ).



View larger version (38K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 4. A) Methylation status of MAT1A locus in healthy human liver and the human hepatoma cell line HepG2. Genomic DNA extracted from control human liver and the human transformed cell line HepG2 was digested with MspI (M) or HpaII (H) and analyzed by Southern blotting using a full-length human MAT1A cDNA as a probe. Asterisks indicate bands present in HpaII-digested DNA from control human liver that are absent in the HpaII-digested DNA from HepG2 cells, indicating hypermethylation of CCGG sites. Lower panel shows MAT1A expression in control human liver and HepG2 cells as assayed by Northern blotting with the same probe. Ethidium bromide staining of the gel is shown as loading control. B) Effects of 5-Aza-CdR or trichostatin A on MAT1A expression in HepG2 cells. Upper panel shows the effect of 5-Aza-CdR treatment (0.1 µM) for 24 or 48 h on MAT1A expression as analyzed by Northern blotting. Lower panel shows the effect of 3 µM trichostatin A on MAT1A mRNA levels after 24 h of treatment. Hybridization with a probe specific for 18S ribosomal RNA was carried out as loading control. Representative blots are shown.


   DISCUSSION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES
 
Mammalian liver plays a central role in the metabolism of methionine (27) . This function is met in part by the presence of a liver-specific MAT enzyme, which is the product of the MAT1A gene expressed only in this organ (2) . We have recently reported the cloning and functional analysis of rat liver MAT1A promoter (18) . We observed that this promoter was able to drive the expression of a reporter gene not only in liver-type cells such as HepG2, but also in the nonhepatic cell line CHO (18) . These observations raised the possibility that the silencing of MAT1A outside the liver could be the consequence of situations known to repress transcription, such as DNA methylation and chromatin compaction (7 , 25) , rather than to the lack of liver-specific transcription factors.

In the present work we have first demonstrated that MAT1A promoter methylation is tissue specific, being hypomethylated in liver but hypermethylated in nonexpressing tissues such as the kidney. We have observed that MAT1A promoter is also hypermethylated in the developing hepatocyte, in which we had previously demonstrated that this gene is not expressed and MAT activity derives from the expression of the extrahepatic MAT2A gene (3) . Thus, cytosine methylation in the 5' region of MAT1A conforms to a pattern of hypermethylation, where the gene is inactive, and hypomethylation, where the gene is active. DNA methylation has been generally associated to an inactive chromatin conformation; however, the mechanisms behind the transcriptional repression dictated by methyl groups in the 5-position of cytosine residues had not been exposed until recently. The recruitment of histone deacetylases to methylated 5'CpG dinucleotides through methylcytosine binding proteins such as MeCP2 can lead to a condensed and inactive chromatin (8 , 9) . These observations linking DNA methylation to histone deacetylation led us to evaluate the degree of acetylation of histones associated with MAT1A promoter. Immunoprecipitation of mononucleosomes with antibodies specific to acetylated histone H4 indicated that in liver MAT1A is enriched in the highly acetylated mononucleosome fraction, whereas in the kidney MAT1A is not preferentially associated with acetylated histones. The histone acetylation pattern of MAT1A promoter in liver corresponds to that of an actively transcribing gene; however, in the kidney this pattern is that of a silent gene. Similar patterns of histone acetylation have been reported for active and silent genes, respectively (28) . MAT1A promoter methylation profile correlates with the local acetylation status of histones. Thus, in liver, where MAT1A promoter is hypomethylated, elevated levels of histone acetylation would result in a chromatin structure accessible to transcription factors whereas in the kidney we find the opposite situation, which may be consistent with a condensed and inactive chromatin state (8 , 9 , 29) . These observations may be relevant to the mechanisms by which tissue-specific MAT1A expression is achieved in vivo.

Hepatic methionine metabolism is altered in various chronic liver disorders as well as in the transformed liver (2 , 30) . We wanted to know whether the MAT1A methylation pattern would be preserved in situations of hepatocellular damage or abnormal proliferation. We first examined the methylation status of MAT1A in an experimental model of liver cirrhosis, trying to reproduce a pathological condition that in many cases precedes the neoplastic conversion of the liver (23 , 24) . Our data indicate that enhanced levels of MAT1A promoter methylation can be detected in the liver of cirrhotic rats. Although no marked changes in liver MAT1A expression occur in this model, a significant reduction (30% compared to controls) in steady-state MAT1A mRNA levels was detected. Although global DNA hypomethylation has been observed in this model of cirrhosis (31) , it is known that DNA methyltransferase expression is higher in liver tissues that show chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis (32) . In this regard, de novo methylation and reduced gene expression in cirrhosis have been reported for certain loci such as the D17S5 locus, in which the candidate tumor suppressor HIC-1 was identified (33) . Our present findings indicate that MAT1A expression in diseased liver is compromised and that hypermethylation of its promoter region could participate in this process.

As we previously mentioned, MAT1A expression is lost upon neoplastic transformation of the hepatocyte (4) . MAT1A silencing is accompanied by the induction of MAT2A, a situation that reproduces the pattern of expression found in the fetal hepatocyte (3) . In addition, MAT2A is also induced under conditions of active proliferation in the liver parenchyma as happens during liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (34) . Thus, it appears that proliferating cells may find an advantage in switching MAT genes (5) whose products behave differently from a kinetic and regulatory point of view (2) . Although global hypomethylation is a characteristic of many transformed cells, certain genomic sequences such as that of tumor suppressor and tissue-specific genes appear to be hypermethylated and repressed in cancer (7) . We next tested MAT1A methylation status in the human transformed hepatic cell line HepG2, in which MAT1A is silenced. Our data indicate that hypermethylation of MAT1A gene accompanies loss of expression. This cellular model has allowed us to directly assess the role of cytosine methylation and histone acetylation on MAT1A expression regulation. We therefore treated HepG2 cells with 5-Aza-CdR, a demethylating agent well known for its ability to reactivate the expression of genes silenced by de novo methylation (7 , 35) . In the presence of 5-Aza-CdR, MAT1A expression was induced after 48 h of treatment; this observation suggests that methylation may indeed play a role in the transcriptional regulation of this gene. A slower rate of cell growth accompanied 5-Aza-CdR-mediated induction of MAT1A expression (data not shown). Growth arrest of tumor cells has previously been observed in response to 5-Aza-CdR, and the reactivation of genes such as the cell cycle regulatory p16 gene, among others, may explain the effect of this drug (35) . However, it is worth mentioning that when MAT1A is transfected into HepG2 cells, slower rates of cell growth and DNA synthesis are observed (5) . As mentioned above, recent findings have demonstrated that transcriptional repression associated with cytosine methylation relies to a significant extent on histone deacetylation (8 , 9) . These observations prompted us to test whether this mechanism could also participate in the silencing of MAT1A in the transformed HepG2 cells. Our findings indicate that treatment with the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (26) for 24 h restored MAT1A expression in HepG2 cells. Taken together, these observations suggest that MAT1A silencing during transformation is mediated by de novo cytosine methylation and the recruitment of histone deacetylase, a situation in which a condensed and inactive chromatin state is favored. These results also support a role for MAT1A promoter methylation and histone acetylation in the maintenance of a tissue-specific expression profile, which may be progressively lost as the transition from a healthy to a diseased and, finally, neoplasic liver proceeds.


   ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 
This work was supported by grants SAF 98/0132, SAF 99/0038 from CICYT (Spain), Europharma and Knoll to J.M.M., grant PB97–1368 from DGICYT (Spain) to G.L.R. and L.F., grant 923/1998 from Gobierno de Navarra (Spain) to M.A.A., and NIH grant DK 51719 to S.C.L. L.T. was supported by the Generalitat Valenciana. M.V.C. is a fellow of the Universidad de Navarra. M.U.L. is a fellow of Fundación Renal Íñigo Álvarez de Toledo. We thank Estefanía Fernández for technical help and Dr. Luis Álvarez for critical reading of the manuscript.


   FOOTNOTES
 
1 Both authors made equal contribution to this work.

Received for publication April 20, 1999. Revised for publication August 2, 1999.


   REFERENCES
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES
 

  1. Mudd, S. H., Cantoni, G. L. (1958) Activation of methionine for transmethylation. III. The methionine-activating enzyme of Baker’s yeast. J. Biol. Chem. 231,481-449[Free Full Text]
  2. Mato, J. M., Alvarez, L., Ortiz, P., Pajares, M. A. (1997) S-Adenosylmethonine synthesis: molecular mechanisms and clinical implications. Pharmacol. Ther. 73,265-280[Medline]
  3. Gil, B., Casado, M., Pajares, M. A., Boscá, L., Mato, J. M., Martín-Sanz, P., Alvarez, L. (1996) Differential expression pattern of S-adenosylmethionine synthetase isoenzymes during rat liver development. Hepatology 24,876-881[Medline]
  4. Cai, J., Sun, W., Hwang, J., Stain, S. C., Lu, S. C. (1996) Changes in S-adenosylmethionine synthetase in human liver cancer: molecular characterization and significance. Hepatology 24,1090-1097[Medline]
  5. Cai, J., Mao, Z., Hwang, J., Lu, S. C. (1998) Differential expression of methionine adenosyltransferase genes influences the rate of growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Cancer Res 58,1444-1450[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  6. Razin, A., Riggs, A. D. (1980) DNA methylation and gene function. Science 210,604-610
  7. Szyf, M. (1996) The DNA methylation machinery as a target for anticancer therapy. Pharmacol. Ther. 70,1-37[Medline]
  8. Jones, P. L., Veenstra, G. J. C., Wade, P. A., Vermaak, D, Kass, S. U., Landsberger, N., Strouboulis, J., Wolffe, A. P. (1998) Methylated DNA and MeCP2 recruit histone deacetylase to repress transcription. Nature (London) Genetics 19,187-191
  9. Nan, X., Ng, H. H., Johnson, C.A., Laherty, C. D., Turner, B. M., Eisenman, R. N., Bird, A. (1998) Transcriptional repression by the methyl CpG-binding protein MeCP2 involves a histone deacetylase complex. Nature (London) 393,386-389[Medline]
  10. Ura, K., Kurumizaka, H., Dimitrov, S., Almouzni, G., Wolffe, A. P. (1997) Histone acetylation: influence on transcription, nucleosome mobility and positioning and linker histone-dependent transcriptional repression. EMBO J 16,2096-2107[Medline]
  11. Razin, A. (1998) CpG methylation, chromatin structure and gene silencing-a three-way connection. EMBO J 17,4905-4908[Medline]
  12. Bestor, T. H. (1998) Methylation meets acetylation. Nature (London) 393,311-312[Medline]
  13. Avila, M. A., Carretero, M. V., Rodriguez, E. N., Mato, J. M. (1998) Regulation by hypoxia of methionine adenosyltransferase activity and gene expression in rat hepatocytes. Gastroenterology 114,364-371[Medline]
  14. Alvarez, L., Asunción, M., Corrales, F., Pajares, M. A., Mato, J. M. (1991) Analysis of the 5' noncoding region of the rat liver S-adenosylmethionine synthetase mRNA and comparison of the Mr deduced from the cDNA sequence and the purified enzyme. FEBS Lett 290,142-146[Medline]
  15. Alvarez, L., Corrales, F., Martín-Duce, A., Mato, J. M. (1993) Characterization of a full-length cDNA encoding human liver S-adenosylmethionine synthetase. Tissue-specific gene expression and mRNA levels in hepatopathies. Biochem. J 293,481-486
  16. Velasco, J. A., Castro, R., Avila, M. A., Laborda, J., DiPaolo, J. A., Cansado, J., Notario, V. (1994) cph, a novel oncogene which cooperates with H-ras in the transformation of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Oncogene 9,2065-2069[Medline]
  17. Carretero, M. V., Torres, L., Latasa, M. U., García-Trevijano, E. R., Prieto, J., Mato, J. M., Avila, M. A. (1998) Transformed but not normal hepatocytes express UCP2. FEBS Lett 439,55-58[Medline]
  18. Alvarez, L., Sánchez-Góngora, E., Mingorance, J., Pajares, M. A., Mato, J. M. (1997) Characterization of rat liver-specific methionine adenosyltransferase gene promoter. J. Biol. Chem. 272,22875-22883[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  19. Corrales, F. J., Giménez, A., Alvarez, L., Caballería, J., Pajares, M. A., Andreu, H., Pares, A., Mato, J. M., Rodés, J. (1992) S-Adenosylmethionine treatment prevents CCl4-induced s-adenosylmethionine synthetase inactivation and attenuates liver injury. Hepatology 16,1022-1027[Medline]
  20. Tsao, J., Lin, H., Lackland, H., Tous, G., Wu, Y., Stein, S. (1991) Internally standardized amino acid analysis for determining peptide/carrier protein coupling ratio. Anal. Biochem. 197,137-142[Medline]
  21. Crane-Robinson, C., Hebbes, T. R., Clayton, A. L., Thorne, A. W. (1997) Chromosomal mapping of core histone acetylation by immunoselection. Methods 12,48-56[Medline]
  22. Counts, J. L., McClain, R. M., Goodman, J. I. (1997) Comparison of effect of tumor promoter treatments on DNA methylation status and gene expression in B6C3F1 and C57BL/6 mouse liver and in B6C3F1 mouse liver tumors. Mol. Carcinog. 18,97-106[Medline]
  23. Tsuda, H., Hirohashi, S., Shimosato, Y., Terada, M., Hasegawa, H. (1988) Clonal origin of atypical adenomatous hyperplasia of the liver and clonal identity with hepatocellular carcinoma. Gastroenterology 95,1664-1666[Medline]
  24. Yasui, H., Hino, O., Ohtake, K., Machinami, R., Kitagawa, T. (1992) Clonal growth of hepatitis B virus-integrated hepatocytes in cirrhotic liver nodule. Cancer Res 52,6810-6814[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  25. Zingg, J. M., Jones, P. A. (1997) Genetic and epigenetic aspects of DNA methylation on genome expression, evolution, mutation and carcinogenesis. Carcinogenesis 18,869-882[Free Full Text]
  26. Yoshida, M., Kijima, M., Akita, M., Beppu, T. (1990) Potent and specific inhibition of mammalian histone deacetylase both in vivo and in vitro by trichostatin A. J. Biol. Chem. 265,17174-17179[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  27. Finkelstein, J. D. (1990) Methionine metabolism in mammals. J. Nutr. Biochem. 1,228-236[Medline]
  28. Clayton, A. L., Hebbes, T. R., Thorne, A. W., Crane-Robinson, C. (1993) Histone acetylation and gene induction in human cells. FEBS Lett 336,23-26[Medline]
  29. Eden, S., Hashimshony, T., Keshet, I., Cedar, H., Thorne, A. W. (1998) DNA methylation models histone acetylation. Nature (London) 394,842[Medline]
  30. Hoffman, R. M. (1984) Altered methionine metabolism, DNA methylation and oncogene expression in carcinogenesis. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 738,49-87[Medline]
  31. Varela-Moreiras, G., Alonso-Aperte, E., Rubio, M., Gassó, M., Deulofeu, R., Alvarez, L., Caballería, J., Rodés, J., Mato, J. M. (1995) Carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic injury is associated with global DNA hypomethylation and homocysteinemia: effect of S-adenosyl-L-methionine treatment. Hepatology 22,1310-1315[Medline]
  32. Sun, L., Hui, A. M., Kanai, Y., Sakamoto, M., Hirohashi, S. (1997) Increased DNA methyltransferase expression is associated with an early stage of human hepatocarcinogenesis. Jpn. J. Cancer Res. 88,1165-1170[Medline]
  33. Kanai, Y., Hui, A., Sun, L., Ushijima, S., Sakamoto, M., Tsuda, H., Hirohashi, S. (1999) DNA hypermethylation at the D17S5 locus and reduced HIC-1 mRNA expression are associated with hepatocarcinogenesis. Hepatology 29,703-709[Medline]
  34. Huang, Z. Z., Mao, Z., Cai, J., Lu, S. C. (1998) Changes in methionine adenosyltransferase during liver regeneration in the rat. Am. J. Physiol. 275,G14-G21[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  35. Bender, C. M., Pao, M. M., Jones, P. A. (1998) Inhibition of DNA methylation by 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine suppresses the growth of human tumor cell lines. Cancer Res 58,95-101[Abstract/Free Full Text]



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
J. E. Dominy Jr., J. Hwang, and M. H. Stipanuk
Overexpression of cysteine dioxygenase reduces intracellular cysteine and glutathione pools in HepG2/C3A cells
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, July 1, 2007; 293(1): E62 - E69.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Biol. Chem.Home page
A. Boukaba, E. I. Georgieva, F. A. Myers, A. W. Thorne, G. Lopez-Rodas, C. Crane-Robinson, and L. Franco
A Short-range Gradient of Histone H3 Acetylation and Tup1p Redistribution at the Promoter of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SUC2 Gene
J. Biol. Chem., February 27, 2004; 279(9): 7678 - 7684.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
E. Santamaria, M. A. Avila, M. U. Latasa, A. Rubio, A. Martin-Duce, S. C. Lu, J. M. Mato, and F. J. Corrales
From the Cover: Functional proteomics of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: Mitochondrial proteins as targets of S-adenosylmethionine
PNAS, March 18, 2003; 100(6): 3065 - 3070.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Biol. Chem.Home page
H. Chen, S. Toyooka, A. F. Gazdar, and J.-T. Hsieh
Epigenetic Regulation of a Novel Tumor Suppressor Gene (hDAB2IP) in Prostate Cancer Cell Lines
J. Biol. Chem., January 24, 2003; 278(5): 3121 - 3130.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Clin. Nutr.Home page
M L. Martinez-Chantar, E. R Garcia-Trevijano, M U. Latasa, I. Perez-Mato, M. M Sanchez del Pino, F. J Corrales, M. A Avila, and J. M Mato
Importance of a deficiency in S-adenosyl-L-methionine synthesis in the pathogenesis of liver injury
Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, November 1, 2002; 76 (5): 1177S - 1182S.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
CarcinogenesisHome page
E. Ballestar and M. Esteller
The impact of chromatin in human cancer: linking DNA methylation to gene silencing
Carcinogenesis, July 1, 2002; 23(7): 1103 - 1109.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
FASEB J.Home page
J. M. MATO, F. J. CORRALES, S. C. LU, and M. A. AVILA
S-Adenosylmethionine: a control switch that regulates liver function
FASEB J, January 1, 2002; 16(1): 15 - 26.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
S. C. Lu, L. Alvarez, Z.-Z. Huang, L. Chen, W. An, F. J. Corrales, M. A. Avila, G. Kanel, and J. M. Mato
Methionine adenosyltransferase 1A knockout mice are predisposed to liver injury and exhibit increased expression of genes involved in proliferation
PNAS, April 18, 2001; (2001) 91016398.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Home page
FASEB J.Home page
E. R. GARCÍA-TREVIJANO, M. U. LATASA, M. V. CARRETERO, C. BERASAIN, J. M. MATO, and M. A. AVILA
S-Adenosylmethionine regulates MAT1A and MAT2A gene expression in cultured rat hepatocytes: a new role for S-adenosylmethionine in the maintenance of the differentiated status of the liver
FASEB J, December 1, 2000; 14(15): 2511 - 2518.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Home page
J. Biol. Chem.Home page
A.-B. Halim, L. LeGros, M. E. Chamberlin, A. Geller, and M. Kotb
Regulation of the Human MAT2A Gene Encoding the Catalytic alpha 2 Subunit of Methionine Adenosyltransferase, MAT II. GENE ORGANIZATION, PROMOTER CHARACTERIZATION, AND IDENTIFICATION OF A SITE IN THE PROXIMAL PROMOTER THAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR ITS ACTIVITY
J. Biol. Chem., March 23, 2001; 276(13): 9784 - 9791.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
S. C. Lu, L. Alvarez, Z.-Z. Huang, L. Chen, W. An, F. J. Corrales, M. A. Avila, G. Kanel, and J. M. Mato
Methionine adenosyltransferase 1A knockout mice are predisposed to liver injury and exhibit increased expression of genes involved in proliferation
PNAS, May 8, 2001; 98(10): 5560 - 5565.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by TORRES, L.
Right arrow Articles by MATO, J. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by TORRES, L.
Right arrow Articles by MATO, J. M.


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS