Cross-talk Between Histone and DNA Methylation Mediates Bone Loss in Hind Limb Unloading

Abstract

Bone loss induced by mechanical unloading is a common skeletal disease, but the precise mechanism remains unclear. The current study investigated the role of histone methylation, a key epigenetic marker, and its cross‐talk with DNA methylation in bone loss induced by mechanical unloading. The expression of G9a, ubiquitin‐like with PHD and ring finger domains 1 (UHRF1), and DNA methylation transferase 1 (DNMT1) were increased in hind limb unloading (HLU) rats. This was accompanied by an increased level of histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) di‐/tri‐methylation at lncH19 promoter. Then, alteration of G9a, DNMT1, or UHRF1 expression significantly affected lncH19 level and osteogenic activity in UMR106 cells. Osteogenic gene expression and matrix mineralization were robustly promoted after simultaneous knockdown of G9a, DNMT1, and UHRF1. Furthermore, physical interactions of lncH19 promoter with G9a and DNMT1, as well as direct interactions among DNMT1, G9a, and UHRF1 were detected. Importantly, overexpression of DNMT1, G9a, or UHRF1, respectively, resulted in enrichment of H3K9me2/me3 and 5‐methylcytosine at lncH19 promoter. Finally, in vivo rescue experiments indicated that knockdown of DNMT1, G9a, or UHRF1 significantly relieved bone loss in HLU rats. In conclusion, our research demonstrated the critical role of H3K9 methylation and its cross‐talk with DNA methylation in regulating lncH19 expression and bone loss in HLU rats. Combined targeting of DNMT1, G9a, and UHRF1 could be a promising strategy for the treatment of bone loss induced by mechanical unloading. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

Exploring the Association between Glutathione Metabolism and Ferroptosis in Osteoblasts with Disuse Osteoporosis and the Key Genes Connecting them

“…For disuse osteoporosis, there are few studies on ferroptosis and its related mechanisms and biomarkers. Recent studies found that the upregulation of DNA methylation-related DNMT1 and histone methylation-related EHMT2 genes would cause disused osteoporosis [ 25 ]. Past studies based on GSE100933 found that GSNAS1, SNHG12, and EPB41LA4A-AS1 can be seen as potential regulators in disuse osteoporosis [ 26 ].…”

TET3 Mediates 5hmC Level and Promotes Tumorigenesis by Activating AMPK Pathway in Papillary Thyroid Cancer

“…mRNA extraction and qRT-PCR were performed as previously described [ 32 ]. Total RNA was isolated from fresh-frozen thyroid cancer tissues and thyroid cancer cell lines using TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, USA) and reverse-transcribed to cDNA using PrimeScript RT Master (Takara, Kyoto, Japan).…”

RNA m6A Alterations Induced by Biomineralization Nanoparticles: A Proof-of-Concept Study of Epitranscriptomics for Nanotoxicity Evaluation

“…QPCR was carried out using ChamQ Universal SYBR qPCR Master Mix (Vazyme) and mRNA expressions were normalized to reference genes GAPDH. The primers used in all qPCR assays are listed in Additional file 1 : Table S1 [ 50 , 51 ].…”