A specific CpG site demethylation in the human interleukin 2 gene promoter is an epigenetic memory

DNA demethylation plays a critical role in transcriptional regulation in differentiated somatic cells. However, there is no experimental evidence that CpG methylation in a small region of a genome restricts gene expression. Here, we show that the anti-CD3 epsilon/CD28 antibody stimulation of human CD4(+) T cells induces IL2 expression following epigenetic changes, including active demethylation of a specific CpG site, recruitment of Oct-1, and changes in histone modifications. When the stimulatory signal is withdrawn, Oct-1 remains on the enhancer region as a stable marker of the stimulation, causing the second induction to be faster and stronger. Our observations indicate that Oct-1-binding followed by CpG demethylation are key events in the epigenetic regulation of IL2 expression and may act as a memory of the regulatory event.