@article{615800078c4442028fbcc39bfff8e027,
title = "The curious case of Merkel cell carcinoma: epigenetic youth and lack of pluripotency",
abstract = "Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a very rare, but highly aggressive skin cancer which occurs mainly in elderly patients. MCC cells show an expression pattern of three cell lineages: epithelial, neuroendocrine, and B-cell progenitor. This trilinear expression pattern suggests stemness activity in MCC. The etiopathogenesis of MCC is either linked to the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) or in a smaller proportion (20%) to high levels of UV-induced somatic mutations. Both viral presence and accumulation of mutations have been shown to be associated with accelerated DNA methylation Age (DNAmAge) compared to chronological age. The MCC DNAmAge was significantly lower compared to the chronological age, which was irrespective of the viral presence or mutational burden. Although these features indicate some aspects of stemness in MCC cells, gene-expression-based pluripotency testing did not provide evidence for pluripotency of MCC cells.",
keywords = "Horvath's epigenetic clock, Merkel cell carcinoma, Merkel cell polyomavirus, pluritest, DNA methylation age",
author = "Emil Chteinberg and Julia Vogt and Julia Kolarova and Felix Bormann and {van den Oord}, Joost and Speel, {Ernst Jan} and Veronique Winnepenninckx and Kurz, {Anna Kordelia} and Martin Zenke and Reiner Siebert and Hausen, {Axel zur}",
note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by RWTH Aachen University through Graduiertenf{\"o}rderung nach Richtlinien zur F{\"o}rderung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses (RFwN). We would like to thank Sietse Aukema, MUMC+, for the initiation of the collaboration with Prof. Reiner Siebert, Ulm University Medical Center. The authors thank Prof. Ole Ammerpohl, Ulm University Medical Center, for fruitful discussions. Funding Information: This research was supported by RWTH Aachen University through Graduiertenf{\"o}rderung nach Richtlinien zur F{\"o}rderung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses (RFwN). We would like to thank Sietse Aukema, MUMC+, for the initiation of the collaboration with Prof. Reiner Siebert, Ulm University Medical Center. The authors thank Prof. Ole Ammerpohl, Ulm University Medical Center, for fruitful discussions. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.",
year = "2020",
month = dec,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1080/15592294.2020.1773096",
language = "English",
volume = "15",
pages = "1319--1324",
journal = "Epigenetics",
issn = "1559-2294",
publisher = "Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group",
number = "12",
}