Forscherdatenbank

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Prof. Dr. Christoph Plass

Heidelberg
Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum

Division of Epigenomics and Cancer Risk Factors

Im Neuenheimer Feld 280

69120 Heidelberg

Programm

Exploitation of Oncogenic Mechanisms (EOM)

Übersicht

Epigenetic determinants of molecular tumorigenesis, cancer risk and and prognosis

Epigenome-wide screens are being used to characterize cells and tissues in different states of normal differentiation or upon neoplastic transformation, to characterize genes identified as epigenetic targets, and to find biomarkers for early diagnosis or prognosis. As epigenetic regulation may be essentially reversible, e.g. by medical drugs or lifestyle changes, there is also strong interest in the molecular mechanisms leading to altered epigenetic patterns in cancer, and in identifying epigenetic markers for monitoring of chemoprevention and treatment responses.

 

Selected Publications

1.         Lipka DBWitte TToth R, Yang J, Wiesenfarth M, Nöllke P, Fischer A, Brocks D, Gu Z, Park J, Strahm B, Wlodarski M, Yoshimi A, Claus R, Lübbert M, Busch H, Boerries M, Hartmann MSchönung MKilik ULangstein JWierzbinska JA, Pabst C, Garg S, Catalá A, De Moerloose B, Dworzak M, Hasle H, Locatelli F, Masetti R, Schmugge M, Smith O, Stary J, Ussowicz M, van den Heuvel-Eibrink MM, Assenov Y, Schlesner M, Niemeyer C, Flotho C, Plass C. RAS-pathway mutation patterns define epigenetic subclasses in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia. Nature Communications (2017), 8(1), 2126.

2.         Brocks DSchmidt CRDaskalakis M, Jang HS, Shah NM, Li D, Li J, Zhang B, Hou Y, Laudato SLipka DB, Schott J, Bierhoff H, Assenov Y, Helf MRessnerova AIslam MSLindroth AM, Haas S, Essers M, Imbusch CD, Brors B, Oehme I, Witt O, Lübbert M, Mallm JP, Rippe K, Will R, Weichenhan D, Stoecklin G, Gerhäuser COakes CC, Wang T, Plass C. DNMT and HDAC inhibitors induce cryptic transcription start sites encoded in long terminal repeats. Nature Genetics (2017), 49(7), 1052-1060.

3.         Oakes CC, Seifert M, Assenov Y, Gu L, Przekopowitz M, Ruppert AS, Wang Q, Imbusch CD, Serva A, Koser SD, Brocks DLipka DBBogatyrova OWeichenhan D, Brors B, Rassenti L, Kipps TJ, Mertens D, Zapatka M, Lichter P, Döhner H, Küppers R, Zenz T, Stilgenbauer S, Byrd JC, Plass CDNA methylation dynamics during B cell maturation underlie a continuum of disease phenotypes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Nature Genetics (2016), 48(3), 253-264.

4.         Claus R, Lucas DM, Stilgenbauer S, Ruppert AS, Yu L, Zucknick M, Mertens D, Bühler A, Oakes CC, Larson RA, Kay NE, Jelinek DF, Kipps TJ, Rassenti LZ, Gribben JG, Döhner H, Heerema NA, Marcucci G, Plass C, Byrd JC. Quantitative DNA Methylation Analysis Identifies a Single CpG Dinucleotide Important for ZAP-70 Expression and Predictive of Prognosis in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Journal of Clinical Oncology (2012) 30(20), 2483-2491.