Delatte B, Jeschke J, Defrance M, Bachman M, Creppe C, Calonne E, Bizet M, Deplus R, Marroquí L, Libin M, Ravichandran M, Mascart F, Eizirik DL, Murrell A, Jurkowski TP, Fuks F
The TET enzymes convert methylcytosine to the newly discovered base hydroxymethylcytosine. While recent reports suggest that TETs may play a role in response to oxidative stress, this role remains uncertain, and results lack in vivo models. Here we show a global decrease of hydroxymethylcytosine in cells treated with buthionine sulfoximine, and in mice depleted for the major antioxidant enzymes GPx1 and 2. Furthermore, genome-wide profiling revealed differentially hydroxymethylated regions in coding genes, and intriguingly in microRNA genes, both involved in response to oxidative stress. These results thus suggest a profound effect of in vivo oxidative stress on the global hydroxymethylome.
