Jeixun, L. i., Hua, S. u., Chen, H., & Futscher, B. W. (2007). Optimal search-based gene subset selection for gene array cancer classification. IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine, 11(4), 398-405.
BIO5 Collaborators
Hsinchun Chen, Bernard W Futscher
PMID: 17674622;Abstract:
High dimensionality has been a major problem for gene array-based cancer classification. It is critical to identify marker genes for cancer diagnoses. We developed a framework of gene selection methods based on previous studies. This paper focuses on optimal search-based subset selection methods because they evaluate the group performance of genes and help to pinpoint global optimal set of marker genes. Notably, this paper is the first to introduce tabu search (TS) to gene selection from high-dimensional gene array data. Our comparative study of gene selection methods demonstrated the effectiveness of optimal search-based gene subset selection to identify cancer marker genes. TS was shown to be a promising tool for gene subset selection. © 2007 IEEE.
Futscher, B., Vrba, L., Jensen, T. J., Garbe, J. C., Heimark, R. L., Cress, A. E., Dickinson, S., Stampfer, M. R., & Futscher, B. W. (2010). Role for DNA methylation in the regulation of miR-200c and miR-141 expression in normal and cancer cells. PloS one, 5(1).
The microRNA-200 family participates in the maintenance of an epithelial phenotype and loss of its expression can result in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, the loss of expression of miR-200 family members is linked to an aggressive cancer phenotype. Regulation of the miR-200 family expression in normal and cancer cells is not fully understood.
Fitzgerald, M., Oshiro, M., Holtan, N., Krager, K., Cullen, J. J., Futscher, B. W., & Domann, F. E. (2003). Human Pancreatic Carcinoma Cells Activate Maspin Expression Through Loss of Epigenetic Control. Neoplasia, 5(5), 427-436.
PMID: 14670180;PMCID: PMC1502613;Abstract:
The maspin gene is not expressed in normal human pancreas, but its expression is acquired during human pancreatic carcinogenesis. In other normal human cells and their malignant counterparts, maspin expression is controlled through the epigenetic state of its promoter. In studies presented herein, we used bisulfite genomic sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation studies to show that maspin-negative pancreas cells have a methylated maspin promoter, and that the associated H3 and H4 histones are hypoacetylated. In contrast to normal pancreas, four of six human pancreatic carcinoma cell lines investigated displayed activation of maspin expression. This activation of maspin expression in pancreatic carcinoma cells was linked to demethylated promoters and hyperacetylation of the associated H3 and H4 histones. In addition, 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine treatments activated maspin expression in the two maspin-negative pancreatic carcinoma cell lines, suggesting a causal role for cytosine methylation in the maintenance of a transcriptionally silent maspin gene. Thus, human pancreatic carcinoma cells acquire maspin expression through epigenetic derepression of the maspin locus, and in so doing appear to co-opt a normal cellular mechanism for the regulation of this gene.
Pieper, R. O., Costello, J. F., Kroes, R. A., Futscher, B. W., Marathi, U., & Erickson, L. C. (1991). Direct correlation between methylation status and expression of the human O-6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase gene. Cancer Communications, 3(8), 241-253.
Futscher, B. W., & Vrba, L. (2018). A suite of DNA methylation markers that can detect most common human cancers. Epigenetics.