MBD3L2 promotes Tet2 enzymatic activity for mediating 5-methylcytosine oxidation.

Ten-eleven translocation (Tet) proteins are key players involved in the dynamic regulation of cytosine methylation and demethylation. Inactivating mutations of Tet2 are frequently found in human malignancies, highlighting the essential role of Tet2 in cellular transformation. However, the factors that control Tet enzymatic activity remain largely unknown. Here, we found that methyl-CpG-binding domain protein 3 (MBD3) and its homolog MBD3-like 2 (MBD3L2) can specifically modulate the enzymatic activity of Tet2 protein, but not Tet1 and Tet3 proteins, in converting 5-methylcytosine (5mC) into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). Moreover, MBD3L2 is more effective than MBD3 in promoting Tet2 enzymatic activity through strengthening the binding affinity between Tet2 and the methylated DNA target. Further analysis revealed pronounced decreases in 5mC levels at MBD3L2 and Tet2 co-occupied genomic regions, most of which are promoter elements associated with either cancer-related genes or genes involved in the regulation of cellular metabolic processes. Our data add new insights into the regulation of Tet2 activity by MBD3 and MBD3L2, and into how that affects Tet2-mediated modulation of its target genes in cancer development. Thus, they have important applications in understanding how dysregulation of Tet2 might contribute to human malignancy.