Insight into epigenetics of human endometriosis organoids: DNA methylation analysis of HOX genes and their cofactors

Objective: To evaluate and compare the methylation pattern of Human Homeobox (HOX) clusters (A-D) and HOX cofactors in normal, eutopic, and ectopic endometrial tissues with ectopic and eutopic endometriosis organoids as advanced preclinical research models. Design: A chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) array containing 84 genes was used to analyze methylation levels of HOX clusters (A-D) and HOX cofactors in normal, eutopic, and ectopic endometrial biopsy specimens as well as ectopic and eutopic endometriosis organoids. Setting: Reproductive biomedicine and cell science research centers. Patient(s): Nine healthy women without endometriosis (control) and 16 women diagnosed with endometriosis. Intervention(s): Ectopic endometrial lesions were obtained using a laparoscopic procedure, and eutopic and control endometrium biopsy sInTitnens were obtained using pipelle sampling. Main Outcome Measure(s): Methylation levels of HOX clusters (A-D) and HOX cofactors in eutopic and ectopic endometrial biopsy specimens, as well as eutopic and ectopic endometriosis organoids and normal endometrium. Result(s): Most HOX clusters (A-D) and HOX cofactors showed methylation alterations in ectopic/eutopic endometrial tissues and ectopic/eutopic endometriosis organoids compared with normal endometrium. These methylation alterations had the same pattern in ectopic/eutopic tissue biopsy specimens and ectopic/eutopic endometriosis organoids in most genes. A contrariwise methylation pattern was observed in 28 of 84 genes in the ectopic/eutopic tissue biopsy specimens and ectopic/eutopic endometriosis organoids. Conclusion(s): Because a conserved pattern of methylation alterations in endometriosis tissues and organoids was observed for most of the investigated genes (56 of 84), it can be concluded that endometriosis organoids maintain epigenetic changes. Therefore, our study suggests endometriosis organoids as a novel preclinical model to determine the epigenetic mechanisms that underlie endometriosis. (C) 2020 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Automated summary

This study evaluated and compared the methylation pattern of HOX clusters and HOX cofactors in normal, eutopic, and ectopic endometrial tissues, utilizing ectopic and eutopic endometriosis organoids as preclinical models. Most genes showed methylation alterations in ectopic/eutopic tissues and organoids, but a contrary methylation pattern was observed in 28 genes. The findings suggest that endometriosis organoids could serve as a novel preclinical model for studying the epigenetic mechanisms underlying endometriosis.