Epigenetic Regulation of Driver Genes in Testicular Tumorigenesis

In testicular germ cell tumor type II (TGCT), a seminoma subtype expresses an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) panel with four upregulated genes, OCT4/POU5F1, SOX17, KLF4, and MYC, and embryonal carcinoma (EC) has four upregulated genes, OCT4/POU5F1, SOX2, LIN28, and NANOG. The EC panel can reprogram cells into iPSC, and both iPSC and EC can differentiate into teratoma. This review summarizes the literature on epigenetic regulation of the genes. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as methylations of cytosines on the DNA string and methylations and acetylations of histone 3 lysines, regulate expression of these driver genes between the TGCT subtypes. In TGCT, the driver genes contribute to well-known clinical characteristics and the driver genes are also important for aggressive subtypes of many other malignancies. In conclusion, epigenetic regulation of the driver genes are important for TGCT and for oncology in general.

Automated summary

This review summarizes the literature on the gene expression and epigenetic regulation of germ cell tumors of the testis type II (TGCT). The seminoma subtype of TGCT expresses a panel of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) with four upregulated genes, while the embryonal carcinoma (EC) subtype has a different set of four upregulated genes. The epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, regulate the expression of these driver genes and contribute to the clinical characteristics of TGCT.