DNMT1-repressed NSun2 Expression Wires DNA Cytosine Methylation and mRNA Cytosine Methylation to Modulate Osteosarcoma Apoptosis

Background: Cellular apoptosis is a central mechanism the chemotherapy leveraged to treat human cancers. Cytosine methylations installed on both DNA and mRNA are documented to regulate apoptosis independently. However, the interplay or crosstalk between them in cellular apoptosis has not yet been explored. Methods: Cisplatin and doxorubicin were used to induce cell apoptosis in three differed types of osteosarcoma cell lines, respectively. Bisulfite-PCR, MS-PCR, and MeDIP experiments were employed to evaluate promoter cytosine methylation, and MeRIP were performed to investigate mRNA cytosine methylation. MeRIP-seq revealed the common target genes regulated by DNMT1 and NSun2. Particular chimeric reporter constructs were generated and dual luciferase assays dissected corresponding regulations via DNA and/or mRNA methylation. Cell viability assay, apoptosis analysis by flow cytometry, and tumor xenograft model were utilized to determine osteosarcoma drug resistance. Results: Promoter methylation by DNMT1 dialogues with mRNA methylation by NSun2 to coordinately regulate osteosarcoma cell apoptosis. DNMT1 was induced in osteosarcoma cell apoptosis triggered by chemotherapeutic drugs, whereas NSun2 expression was dampened. DNMT1 was found to represses NSun2 expression by methylating NSun2 promoter. Moreover, DNMT1 and NSun2 regulate anti-apoptotic genes AXL, NOTCH2, and YAP1 through DNA and mRNA methylation, respectively. Upon exposure to cisplatin or doxorubicin, DNMT1 elevation drastically reduced these anti-apoptotic gene expressions via enhanced promoter methylation coupled with NSun2 ablation-mediated attenuation of mRNA methylation, thus rendering osteosarcoma to apoptosis. Conclusions: Our findings establish a crosstalk of importance between DNA and RNA cytosine methylations in determining osteosarcoma resistance to apoptosis during chemotherapy, shedding new light on future treatment of osteosarcoma, and add additional layers to the control of gene expression at different epigenetic levels.