Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling in cultured eutopic and ectopic endometrial stromal cells

PLoS One. 2014 Jan 23;9(1):e83612. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083612. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to characterize the genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of isolated endometrial stromal cells obtained from eutopic endometria with (euESCa) and without endometriosis (euESCb) and ovarian endometrial cysts (choESC). Three samples were analyzed in each group. The infinium methylation array identified more hypermethylated and hypomethylated CpGs in choESC than in euESCa, and only a few genes were methylated differently in euESCa and euESCb. A functional analysis revealed that signal transduction, developmental processes, immunity, etc. were different in choESC and euESCa. A clustering analysis and a principal component analysis performed based on the methylation levels segregated choESC from euESC, while euESCa and euESCb were identical. A transcriptome analysis was then conducted and the results were compared with those of the DNA methylation analysis. Interestingly, the hierarchical clustering and principal component analyses showed that choESC were segregated from euESCa and euESCb in the DNA methylation analysis, while no segregation was recognized in the transcriptome analysis. The mRNA expression levels of the epigenetic modification enzymes, including DNA methyltransferases, obtained from the specimens were not significantly different between the groups. Some of the differentially methylated and/or expressed genes (NR5A1, STAR, STRA6 and HSD17B2), which are related with steroidogenesis, were validated by independent methods in a larger number of samples. Our findings indicate that different DNA methylation profiles exist in ectopic ESC, highlighting the benefits of genome wide DNA methylation analyses over transcriptome analyses in clarifying the development and characterization of endometriosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cells, Cultured
  • DNA Methylation*
  • Endometriosis / genetics
  • Endometriosis / metabolism
  • Endometriosis / pathology
  • Endometrium / metabolism
  • Endometrium / pathology*
  • Epigenesis, Genetic
  • Estradiol Dehydrogenases / genetics
  • Estradiol Dehydrogenases / metabolism
  • Female
  • Genome, Human
  • Humans
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Phosphoproteins / genetics
  • Phosphoproteins / metabolism
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Steroidogenic Factor 1 / genetics
  • Steroidogenic Factor 1 / metabolism
  • Stromal Cells / metabolism*
  • Transcriptome

Substances

  • Membrane Proteins
  • NR5A1 protein, human
  • Phosphoproteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • STRA6 protein, human
  • Steroidogenic Factor 1
  • steroidogenic acute regulatory protein
  • Estradiol Dehydrogenases
  • HSD17B2 protein, human

Grants and funding

This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid 21592099, 22591825, 23659781, 23791846 and 23890140 for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan and the New Frontier Project, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.