Comprehensive characterization of the NET methylome

#3876

Introduction: The methylome holds great promise for biomarker discovery in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), as changes in DNA methylation allow differentiation into relevant subgroups and reveal tissue of origin. However, a comprehensive characterization of the NET methylome is lacking, hampering biological insight and meaningful biomarker selection.

Aim(s): The aim of this study was to investigate the NET methylome through differential methylation meta-analysis including site-specific controls and other tumor types.

Materials and methods: Our own and public methylation array data (450K) were combined including 60 pancreatic (PNET), 46 small intestine (SINET), and 18 lung NETs (LNET). Differential methylation analysis was performed via a modified linear mixed regression model. For each type of NET, 3 sub analyses were run: NET vs. healthy tissue (n=753), NET vs. blood (n=815), and NET vs. 14 other tumor types (n=5786). By taking the intersection, PNET/SINET/LNET-specific differentially methylated probes (DMPs) were identified and used for gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA).

Conference:

Presenting Author: Mariën L

Authors: Mariën L, Ibrahim J, Cremers T, Lybaert W, Prenen H,

Keywords: neuroendocrine tumor, DNA methylation, pathway analysis, biomarker selection,