J Neurol Surg A Cent Eur Neurosurg 2022; 83(06): 568-572
DOI: 10.1055/a-1713-7699
Review Article

DNA Hydroxymethylation in High-Grade Gliomas

1   Department of Neurosurgery, Instytut Psychiatrii i Neurologii, Warsaw, Poland
,
Marta Grabiec
2   Department of Clinical Cytology, Centrum Medyczne Ksztalcenia Podyplomowego, Warszawa, Poland
,
Marcin Rylski
2   Department of Clinical Cytology, Centrum Medyczne Ksztalcenia Podyplomowego, Warszawa, Poland
3   Department of Neuroradiology, Instytut Psychiatrii i Neurologii, Warsaw, Poland
,
Albert Acewicz
4   Department of Neuropathology, Instytut Psychiatrii i Neurologii, Warsaw, Poland
,
Michał Sobstyl
1   Department of Neurosurgery, Instytut Psychiatrii i Neurologii, Warsaw, Poland
› Author Affiliations
Funding None.

Abstract

Background Since the new World Health Organization (WHO) classification of nervous system tumors (2016, revised, 4th edition) has been released, gliomas are classified depending on molecular and genetic markers in connection with histopathology, instead of histopathology itself as it was in the previous classification. Over the last years, epigenetic analysis has taken on increased importance in the diagnosis and treatment of different cancers. Multiple studies confirmed that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation and hydroxymethylation play an important role in the regulation of gene expression during carcinogenesis.

Methods In this review, we aim to present the current state of knowledge on DNA hydroxymethylation in human high-grade gliomas (WHO grades III and IV).

Results The correlation between DNA hydroxymethylation and survival in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients was evaluated by different studies. The majority of them showed that the expression of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) and ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes were significantly reduced, sometimes almost undetectable in high-grade gliomas in comparison with the normal brain. A decreased level of 5-hmC was associated with poor survival in patients, but high expression of the TET3 enzyme was related to a better prognosis for GBM patients. This points to the relevance of DNA hydroxymethylation in molecular diagnostics of human gliomas, including survival estimation or differentiating patients in terms of response to the treatment.

Conclusion Future studies may shed some more light on this epigenetic mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of human high-grade gliomas and help develop new targeted therapies.



Publication History

Received: 23 April 2021

Accepted: 01 November 2021

Accepted Manuscript online:
06 December 2021

Article published online:
24 January 2022

© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 
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