Expansion of the polymorphic CGG repeats within the 5'-UTR of the FMR1 gene is associated with variable transcriptional regulation of FMR1. Here we report a novel gene, ASFMR1, overlapping the CGG repeat region of FMR1 and transcribed in the antisense orientation. The ASFMR1 transcript is spliced, polyadenylated and exported to the cytoplasm. Similar to FMR1, ASFMR1 is upregulated in individuals with premutation alleles and is not expressed from full mutation alleles. Moreover, it exhibits premutation-specific alternative splicing. Taken together, these observations suggest that in addition to FMR1, ASFMR1 may contribute to the variable phenotypes associated with the CGG repeat expansion.

SUMMARY Epigenetic alterations, particularly in DNA methylation, are ubiquitous in cancer, yet the molecular origins and the consequences of these alterations are poorly understood. The DNA binding protein CTCF regulates a diverse array of epigenetic processes and is frequently altered by hemizygous deletion or mutation in human cancer. To date, a causal role for CTCF in cancer has not been established. Here we show that Ctcf hemizygous knockout mice are markedly susceptible to spontaneous, radiation, and chemically induced cancer in a broad range of tissues. Ctcf+/− tumors are characterized by increased aggressiveness including invasion, metastatic dissemination, and mixed epithelial/mesenchymal differentiation. Molecular analysis of Ctcf+/− tumors indicates that Ctcf is haploinsufficient for tumor suppression. Tissues with hemizygous loss of CTCF exhibit increased variability in CpG methylation genome-wide. These findings establish CTCF as a prominent tumor suppressor gene and point to CTCF mediated epigenetic stability as a major barrier to neoplastic progression.

The data suggest that PAHs contribute to the mutational spectrum in human lung cancer.