Division of Epigenomics and Cancer Risk Factors
Table of Contents
Major Research Topics
- Epigenetic characterization of major malignancies, including leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and pancreatic cancer
- Genome-wide screens for the identification of aberrant DNA methylation
- Characterization of genes identified as epigenetic targets
- Mechanisms of epigenetic gene regulation
- Development of mouse models relevant for epigenetic studies
- Development of novel biomarkers relevant for chemoprevention, early diagnosis and treatment response
Research groups and project leaders
Selected references
Costello JF, Frühwald MC, Smiraglia DJ, Rush L, Robertson GP, Gao X, Wright F, Feramisco JD, Peltomäki P, Lang JC, Schuller DE, Yu L, Bloomfield C, Caligiuri M, Yates A, Nishikawa R, Su Huang H-J, Petrelli NJ, Zhang X, O’Dorisio MS, Held WA, Cavenee WK, Plass C. Aberrant CpG island methylation has non-random and tumor type specific patterns. Nature Genetics, 25:132-138, 2000. Abstract
Yu L, Liu C, Vandeusen J, Becknell B, Dai Z, Wu Y, Raval A, Liu T, Ding W, Mao C, Liu S, Smith LT, Lee S, Rassenti L, Marcucci G, Byrd J, Caligiuri MA and Plass C. Global assessment of promoter methylation in a murine model of cancer identifies ID4 as a putative novel tumor suppressor gene in human leukemia. Nature Genetics, 37:265-274, 2005. Abstract
Tada Y, Brena RM, Hackanson B, Morrison C, Otterson GA, Plass C. Epigenetic modulation of tumor suppressor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α activity in lung cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst, 98:396-406, 2006. Abstract
Raval A, Tanner S, Byrd J, Angerman E, Perko J, Chen S-S, Grever M, Lucas D, Matkovic J, Lin T, Kipps T, Murry F, Weisenburger D, Sanger W, Lynch J, Watson P, Jansen M, Yoshinaga Y, Rosenquist R, de Jong P, Coggill P, Beck S, Lynch H, de la Chapelle A, Plass C. Down-regulation of death associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Cell 129:879-890, 2007. Abstract
Opavsky R, Wang SH, Trikha P, Raval A, Huang Y, Wu YZ, Rodriguez B, Keller B, Liyanarachchi S, Wei G, Davuluri RV, Weinstein M, Felsher D, Ostrowski M, Leone G, Plass C. CpG island methylation in a mouse model of lymphoma is driven by the genetic configuration of tumor cells. PLoS Genetics 3:1757-1769, 2007. Abstract
Brena, R.M., Morrison, C., Liyanarachchi, S., Jarjoura, D., Davuluri, R.V., Otterson, G.A., Reisman, D., Glaros, S., Rush, L.J. and Plass C.: Aberrant DNA Methylation of OLIG1, a Novel Prognostic Factor in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. PLoS Med., 4, e108, 2007. Abstract
Smith LT, Otterson GA, Plass C. Unravelling the epigenetic code of cancer for therapy. (Review) Trends Genet 23:449-456, 2007. Abstract
Risch A, Plass C. Lung cancer epigenetics and genetics (Review). Int J Cancer 123:1-7, 2008. Abstract
Schmezer P, Plass C. Epigenetic aspects in carcinomas of the head and neck (Review in German). HNO 2008, 56:594-602. Abstract
Plass C, Oakes C, Blum W, Marcucci G. Epigenetics in acute myeloid leukemia (Review). Semin Oncol. 35: 378-87, 2008. Abstract
Brena RM, Plass C. Bio-COBRA: absolute quantification of DNA methylation in electrofluidics chips. Methods Mol Biol. 507: 257-69, 2009. Abstract
Huang J, Plass C, Gerhäuser C. Cancer Chemoprevention by targeting the epigenome (Review). Current Drug Targets, 2010 Dec 15. [Epub ahead of print] Abstract
