STANDARD_NAME SCHLESINGER_H3K27ME3_IN_NORMAL_AND_METHYLATED_IN_CANCER SYSTEMATIC_NAME M16297 COLLECTION C2:CGP MSIGDB_URL https://www.gsea-msigdb.org/gsea/msigdb/human/geneset/SCHLESINGER_H3K27ME3_IN_NORMAL_AND_METHYLATED_IN_CANCER NAMESPACE HUMAN_GENE_SYMBOL DESCRIPTION_BRIEF Genes bearing the H3K27me3 mark in normal cells; their DNA is methylated in cancer cells. DESCRIPTION_FULL Many genes associated with CpG islands undergo de novo methylation in cancer. Studies have suggested that the pattern of this modification may be partially determined by an instructive mechanism that recognizes specifically marked regions of the genome. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis, here we show that genes methylated in cancer cells are specifically packaged with nucleosomes containing histone H3 trimethylated on Lys27. This chromatin mark is established on these unmethylated CpG island genes early in development and then maintained in differentiated cell types by the presence of an EZH2-containing Polycomb complex. In cancer cells, as opposed to normal cells, the presence of this complex brings about the recruitment of DNA methyl transferases, leading to de novo methylation. These results suggest that tumor-specific targeting of de novo methylation is pre-programmed by an established epigenetic system that normally has a role in marking embryonic genes for repression. PMID 17200670 GEOID AUTHORS Schlesinger Y,Straussman R,Keshet I,Farkash S,Hecht M,Zimmerman J,Eden E,Yakhini Z,Ben-Shushan E,Reubinoff BE,Bergman Y,Simon I,Cedar H CONTRIBUTOR Leona Saunders CONTRIBUTOR_ORG MSigDB Team EXACT_SOURCE Table 1S FILTERED_BY_SIMILARITY EXTERNAL_NAMES_FOR_SIMILAR_TERMS EXTERNAL_DETAILS_URL SOURCE_MEMBERS AMPH,AQP5,C20orf55,COL1A1,CRHR2,CX36,DES,GAD2,GDF10,GNAL,GPR6,GRIA4,GRM6,GRM7,HBA2,HOXA9,HOXD12,HS3ST2,HTR1A,KCNA1,MYT1,NEUROG3,PCDHAC1,PCDHGB5,POU4F3,SFRP4,SOCS1,TRHDE GENE_SYMBOLS AMPH,AQP5,FAM110A,COL1A1,CRHR2,GJD2,DES,GAD2,GDF10,GNAL,GPR6,GRIA4,GRM6,GRM7,HBA2,HOXA9,HOXD12,HS3ST2,HTR1A,KCNA1,MYT1,NEUROG3,PCDHAC1,PCDHGB5,POU4F3,SFRP4,SOCS1,TRHDE FOUNDER_NAMES