Genome-wide identification of methylated CpG sites in nongenital cutaneous warts

Abstract

Background: Low-risk HPV infection has not been the subject of epigenetic investigation. The present study was carried out in order to investigate the methylation status of CpG sites in non-genital cutaneous warts. Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from 24 paired epidermal samples of warts and normal skin. DNA samples were bisulfite converted and underwent genome-wide methylation profiling using the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip Kit. Results: From a total of 844,234 CpG sites, 56,960 and 43,040 CpG sites were found to be hypo- and hypermethylated, respectively, in non-genital cutaneous warts. The most differentially methylated CpG sites in warts were located within the C10orf26, FAM83H-AS1, ZNF644, LINC00702, GSAP, STAT5A, HDAC4, NCALD, and EXOC4 genes. Conclusion: Non-genital cutaneous warts exhibit a unique CpG methylation signature.