Overexpression of TET dioxygenases in seminomas associates with low levels of DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation

Germ cell tumors and particularly seminomas reflect the epigenomic features of their parental primordial germ cells, including the genomic DNA hypomethylation and expression of pluripotent cell markers. Because the DNA hypomethylation might be a result of TET dioxygenase activity, we examined expression of TET1-3 enzymes and the level of their product, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, in a panel of histologically characterized seminomas and non-seminomatous germ cell tumors. Expression of TET dioxygenase mRNAs was quantified by real-time PCR. TET1 expression and the level of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine were examined immunohistochemically. Quantitative assessment of 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine levels was done by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy technique. We found highly increased expression of TET1 dioxygenase in most seminomas and a strong TET1 staining in seminoma cells. Is ocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 mutations were not detected suggest ing the enzymatic activity of TET1. The levels of 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in seminomas were found decreased in comparison to non-seminoma to us germ cell tumors and healthy testicular tissue. We propose TET1 expression as a marker of seminoma and mixed germ cell tumor and we suggest that high levels of TET1 expression are associated with the maintenance of low DNA methylation levels in seminomas. This “anti-methylator” phenotype of seminomas is in contrast to the CpG island methylator phenotype observed in a fraction of tumors of various types.