Aberrant DNA hydroxymethylation reshapes transcription factor binding in myeloid neoplasms

Epigenetic abnormalities in DNA hydroxymethylation (5hmC) have been detected in patients with myeloid neoplasms, suggesting that 5hmC might act as a valuable epigenetic mark to reflect the disease status of myeloid neoplasms. Here, we report systematic genome-wide mapping of the DNA hydroxymethylomes in over 70 patients with myeloid neoplasms. Our integrative analysis leads to the identification of distinct 5hmC signatures that can sensitively discriminate patients from healthy individuals. At the molecular level, we unveiled dynamic 5hmC changes within key transcription factor (e.g., the CEBP family) binding motifs that are essential for hematopoiesis and myeloid lineage specification. 5hmC redistribution was found to alter the genome-wide binding of CEBP-α, thereby reprogramming transcriptional outputs to affect leukemia cell survival and stemness. Taken together, we provide a comprehensive 5hmC atlas representative of myeloid neoplasms, which sets the stage for future exploration on the epigenetic etiology of hematological malignancies. Mechanistically, our study further furnishes important insights into how abnormal 5hmC distribution in patients directly interrupts the binding of transcription factors to reshape transcriptional landscapes and aggravate leukemogenesis. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13148-022-01297-5.