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Title: MAX is an epigenetic sensor of 5-carboxylcytosine and is altered in multiple myeloma

Journal Article · · Nucleic Acids Research
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkw1184· OSTI ID:1356410
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [2]
  1. Emory Univ. School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA (United States)
  2. Emory Univ. School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA (United States); Univ. of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)
  3. Emory Univ. School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA (United States); The Winship Cancer Inst. of Emory Univ., Atlanta, GA (United States)
  4. Emory Univ. School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA (United States); The Winship Cancer Inst. of Emory University, Atlanta, GA (United States)

The oncogenic transcription factor MYC and its binding partner MAX regulate gene expression by binding to DNA at enhancer-box (E-box) elements 5'-CACGTG-3'. In mammalian genomes, the central E-box CpG has the potential to be methylated at the 5-position of cytosine (5mC), or to undergo further oxidation to the 5-hydroxymethyl (5hmC), 5-formyl (5fC), or 5-carboxyl (5caC) forms. We find that MAX exhibits the greatest affinity for a 5caC or unmodified C-containing E-box, and much reduced affinities for the corresponding 5mC, 5hmC or 5fC forms. Crystallization of MAX with a 5caC modified E-box oligonucleotide revealed that MAX Arg36 recognizes 5caC using a 5caC–Arg–Guanine triad, with the next nearest residue to the carboxylate group being Arg60. In an analysis of >800 primary multiple myelomas, MAX alterations occurred at a frequency of ~3%, more than half of which were single nucleotide substitutions affecting a basic clamp-like interface important for DNA interaction. Among these, arginines 35, 36 and 60 were the most frequently altered. In vitro binding studies showed that whereas mutation of Arg36 (R36W) or Arg35 (R35H/L) completely abolished DNA binding, mutation of Arg60 (R60Q) significantly reduced DNA binding, but retained a preference for the 5caC modified E-box. Interestingly, MAX alterations define a subset of myeloma patients with lower MYC expression and a better overall prognosis. Together these data indicate that MAX can act as a direct epigenetic sensor of E-box cytosine modification states and that local CpG modification and MAX variants converge to modulate the MAX-MYC transcriptional network.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Grant/Contract Number:
GM049245-23; CA077337-15
OSTI ID:
1356410
Journal Information:
Nucleic Acids Research, Vol. 45, Issue 5; ISSN 0305-1048
Publisher:
Oxford University PressCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 44 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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TET-mediated active DNA demethylation: mechanism, function and beyond journal May 2017
MYC dysregulation in the progression of multiple myeloma journal August 2019
Epigenome-wide meta-analysis of blood DNA methylation and its association with subcortical volumes: findings from the ENIGMA Epigenetics Working Group journal December 2019
Multiple myeloma immunoglobulin lambda translocations portend poor prognosis journal April 2019
Methods for detection of cytosine and thymine modifications in DNA journal October 2018
Orphan CpG islands define a novel class of highly active enhancers journal April 2017
DNA methylation reprogramming of human cancer cells by expression of a plant 5-methylcytosine DNA glycosylase journal January 2018
Reading cytosine modifications within chromatin journal February 2018
Structural basis for effects of CpA modifications on C/EBPβ binding of DNA journal December 2018
Structural basis for preferential binding of human TCF4 to DNA containing 5-carboxylcytosine journal May 2019
TET2 binding to enhancers facilitates transcription factor recruitment in hematopoietic cells journal February 2019
In vivo evidence of ascorbate involvement in the generation of epigenetic DNA modifications in leukocytes from patients with colorectal carcinoma, benign adenoma and inflammatory bowel disease journal July 2018
Characteristic profiles of DNA epigenetic modifications in colon cancer and its predisposing conditions—benign adenomas and inflammatory bowel disease journal May 2018
Orphan CpG islands define a novel class of highly active enhancers text January 2017
An all-to-all approach to the identification of sequence-specific readers for epigenetic DNA modifications on cytosine journal February 2021
Orphan CpG islands define a novel class of highly active enhancers text January 2017
Defining the impact of sumoylation on substrate binding and catalysis by thymine DNA glycosylase journal April 2018