脑胶质瘤组织中p16基因启动子区CpG岛甲基化检测及其临床意义研究

目的：研究脑胶质瘤中p16基因启动子区甲基化情况及其临床意义。方法：用甲基化特异性PCR技术检测42例脑胶质瘤组织和癌旁正常脑组织中p16基因启动子甲基化,并分析该基因启动子甲基化与临床病理特征之间的关系。结果：脑胶质瘤组织中p16基因异常甲基化率（38.27%）显著高于癌旁正常脑组织中p16基因的异常甲基化率（8.8%,P=0.000）。发生甲基化的肿瘤组织或者正常脑组织中p16基因mRNA和蛋白表达显著降低。此外,p16基因异常甲基化和肿瘤病理分级有相关性（P=0.007）,而与患者性别、年龄及肿瘤类型等临床特征无关（P=0.669,0.869和0.944）。结论：p16基因启动子区CpG岛高甲基化与p16表达下调相关,推测p16启动子区CpG岛高甲基化是导致p16基因在脑胶质瘤中表达下调的重要因素,有望成为脑胶质瘤早期辅助诊断的分子标志物之一。     

Methylation loss at H19 imprinted gene correlates withmethylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene promoter hypermethylation in semen samples from infertile males

Aberrant methylation at the H19 paternal imprinted gene has been identified in different cohorts of infertile males. The causes of H19 methylation errors are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the methylation status of the H19 gene in semen DNA samples from infertile males affected by MTHFR gene promoter hypermethylation. DNA from normal and abnormal semen samples harbouring MTHFR gene promoter hypermethylated, hmMTHFR-nor and hmMTHFR-abn, and without MTHFR methylation, MTHFR-nor and MTHFR-abn, were investigated for methylation status in the H19 locus using bisulfite-treated DNA PCR, followed by cloning and sequencing. The prevalence of H19 hypomethylated clones was 20% in hmMTHFR-nor and 0% in MTHFR-nor semen samples (p < 0.05), and 28% in hmMTHFR-abn compared with 16% in MTHFR-abn semen samples (p > 0.05). These results underscore the association between H19 methylation defects and hypermethylation of the MTHFR gene promoter in normal semen samples and suggest that aberrant methylation at H19 may occur in the normal sperm of infertile males affected by MTHFR gene dysfunction. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms causing abnormal methylation in imprinted genes and, in turn, male infertility.     

p16 hypermethylation during gastric carcinogenesis of Wistar rats by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine

Inactivation of the tumor suppressor gene, p16 by CpG hypermethylation is a common event in various tumors including gastric carcinoma. The aim of this study is to investigate if p16 hypermethylation is an early and frequent event in gastric carcinogenesis induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). The frequency and timing of p16 hypermethylation during the multistep gastric carcinogenesis in Wistar rats were analyzed in various microdissected gastric lesions. The p16 methylation status and the presence of p16 protein were analyzed by methylation-specific PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Results showed that p16 methylation frequency was correlated with the severity of gastric pathologic lesions, positively. For instance, p16 methylation was found in 2.7% of normal gastric epithelium (n = 36), 16.7% of chronic atrophy gastritis (n = 24), 37.5% of dysplasia (n = 24), 67.4% of gastric adenoma (n = 43), and 85.2% of gastric carcinoma (n = 27). The p16 methylation in the distal stomach epithelium was higher than that in the proximal stomach. p16 protein was expressed in all of 15 p16 unmethylated gastric epithelial samples, but not expressed in all of 12 p16 methylated samples. These results suggest that CpG island hypermethylation may account for the silencing of p16 in rat stomach and is an early event whose accumulation will finally lead to gastric carcinogenesis.     

Helicobacter pylori infection promotes methylation of WWOX gene in human gastric cancer

WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX), a tumor suppressor gene, was reported to be downregulated in gastric cancer and other tumors. However, the mechanism by which WWOX is inactivated remains unclear. In our study, methylation status of WWOX was determined by MSP and sequencing. Our results showed that WWOX hypermethylation was frequently detected in gastric cancer, and also significantly correlated with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. Promoter methylation of WWOX was induced in BCG823 and AGS cells co-cultured with H. pylori. Finally, we found that expression of DNMT1 and DNMT3A were enhanced when cells were co-cultured with H. pylori. Our study indicated that H. pylori infection promoted methylation of WWOX gene in gastric cancer.     

RB1 and CDKN2A Functional Defects Resulting in Retinoblastoma

Multiplex methylation-sensitive PCR was employed in studying the methylation of the RB1 and CDKN2A/p16 promoter regions in 52 retinoblastomas. Aberrant methylation inactivating RB1 was detected in 14 (27%) tumors. Methylation of p16 was for the first time observed in retinoblastoma (9 tumors, 17%). Both promoters proved to be methylated in two tumors. In four tumors, aberrant methylation was combined with structural defects of both RB1 alleles. Aberrant methylation of the p16 promoter was the second mutation event in two tumors and was not accompanied by RB1 defects in one tumor. Complex testing for RB1 mutations, loss of heterozygosity, and functional inactivation of the two genes revealed molecular defects in at least one allele in 51 (98%) tumors.     

Highly sensitive determination of the methylated p16 gene in cancer patients by microchip electrophoresis

The p16 tumor suppressor gene is inactivated by promoter region hypermethylation in many types of tumor. Recent studies showed that aberrant methylation of the p16 gene is an early event in many tumors, especially in lung cancer, and may constitute a new biomarker for early detection and monitoring of prevention trials. We detected tumor-associated aberrant hypermethylation of the p16 gene in plasma and tissue DNA from 153 specimens using a modified semi-nested methylation-specific PCR (MSP) combining plastic microchip electrophoresis or slab gel electrophoresis, respectively. Specimens were from 79 lung cancer patients, 15 abdominal tumor patients, 30 positive controls and 30 negative controls. The results showed that the positive rate obtained by microchip electrophoresis was more than 26.6% higher and the same specificity was kept when compared with slab gel electrophoresis. The microchip electrophoresis can rapidly and accurately analyze the PCR products of methylated DNA and obviously improve the positive rate of diagnosis of cancer patients when compared with gel electrophoresis. This method with the high assay sensitivity might be used for detection of methylation of p16 gene and even to facilitate early diagnosis of cancer patients.     

Methylation of the Putative Tumor Suppressor Gene RASSF1A in Primary Cervical Tumors

Methylation-sensitive restriction endonuclease analysis (MSRA) followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have been used to estimate the methylation level of 13 CpG dinucleotides in the promoter region of the putative suppressor gene RASSF1A (3p21.31) in squamous cell carcinomas of the uterine cervix (SCCs) carrying human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16, 18, and related types. Methylation of 3 to 13 CpG pairs has been found in 64% (25 out of 39) tumor DNA samples, 22% (2 out of 9) DNA samples from morphologically normal tissues adjacent to the tumor (P = 0.0306), and two out of three DNA samples from peripheral blood leukocytes of carcinoma patients. These CpG pairs are not methylated in the DNA of leukocytes of healthy donors (0 out of 10). The methylation level of the RASSF1A promoter region studied in tumors of the patients with regional lymph node metastases is significantly higher than in tumors of the patient that have no metastases (P = 8.5 × 10^–12). The methylation frequency of gene RASSF1A is two times higher than the frequency of hemi- and homozygous deletions in the chromosome 3 region where the gene is located. The data obtained indicate that methylation is one of the main mechanisms of the RASSF1A gene inactivation in HPV-positive human cervical tumors. The methylation of this gene may be an early event in the genesis of cervical tumors, the methylation level increasing with tumor progression.     

宫颈癌p16基因甲基化及表达的研究

为了探讨p16基因甲基化及异常表达在宫颈癌中的意义,分别采用甲基化特异性PCR（MSP）方法检测不同病理类型和临床分期的60例宫颈癌组织中p16基因启动子区域5´CpG岛甲基化状态;采用PCR方法检测p16基因外显子1（E1)和外显子2(E2)纯合缺失情况;采用免疫组化的方法分析p16蛋白的表达缺失和减弱情况。结果显示正常对照组织及癌旁p16基因无甲基化,且无E1和E2缺失和p16蛋白表达异常。60例宫颈癌标本的甲基化率为21.67%（13/60）;p16 基因缺失率为15.00%（9/60）;p16蛋白表达下降或无表达为51.67%（31/60）。可见p16基因蛋白的阳性表达率随着临床分期升高呈明显下降趋势。结果提示p16基因失活在宫颈癌中多见且与病理分级密切相关。p16 基因甲基化在宫颈癌发生中起着一定作用。Abstract： To detect hypermethylation and aberrant expression of the p16 gene in cervical carcinoma (CC), methylation-specific PCR (MSP) was used to determine the methylation status of 5´CpG islands of the p16 gene, loss or decrease of p16 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and homozygous deletion of exon 1 (E1) and/or exon 2 (E2) was determined by PCR. in 60 cases of CC at different pathological grades and clinical stages. The results showed absence of methylation and presence of normal expression of the p16 gene in the control and adjacent tissues of CC. Hypermethylation, loss or decrease of expression and deletion of the p16 gene were detected in 21.67%(13/60), 51.67%(31/60) and 15.00%(9/60) of the tumor tissues, respectively. The rate of p16 expression markedly reduced with the increase of clinical stages. Our data suggested that inactivation of the p16 gene was a frequent event and positively correlated with pathological grades in CC, and that methylation of the p16 gene was an important event in carcinogenesis of CC.     

Prevalence of aberrant methylation of p14ARF over p16INK4a in some human primary tumors

The INK4a/ARF locus encodes two unrelated tumor suppressor proteins, p16INK4a and p14ARF, which participate in the two main cell-cycle control pathways, p16–Rb and p14–p53. Methylation of CpG promoter islands has been described as a mechanism of gene silencing. Exon 1 of the p16INK4a gene and the p14ARF promoter gene reside within CpG islands. Therefore, both can become methylated de novo and silenced. It has recently been proposed that the methylation changes in certain genes could be used as molecular markers for the detection of almost all forms of human cancer. Here, we analyzed concomitantly in each tumor sample and normal tissue the methylation status of p16INK4a and p14ARF by methylation-specific PCR (MSP) in 100 breast, 95 colon and 27 bladder carcinomas. A series of clinicopathological parameter were obtained from the medical records of the patients, p14ARF showed a higher rate of hypermethylation than p16INK4a in all three tumor types. p16INK4a and p14ARF aberrant methylation was significantly correlated with poor prognosis clinicopathological parameters of the three tumor types. We conclude that both p16INKa and p14ARF hypermethylation may be involved in breast, colon and bladder carcinogenesis, with special emphasis on the role of the lesser studied p14ARF gene, and that tumors with aberrant methylation in the two genes were associated with worse prognosis.     

Methylation Profile of Several Tumor Suppressor Genes in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Multiplex methylation-sensitive PCR was employed in studying the methylation of CpG islands in the RB1, p16/CDKN2A, p15/CDKN2B, p14/ARF, CDH1, HIC1, and N33 5 regions in non-small cell lung cancer (51 tumors). Methylation was observed for the two suppressor genes involved in controlling the cell cycle through the Cdk–Rb–E2F signaling pathway, RB1 (10/51, 19%) and p16 (20/51, 39%). The highest methylation frequencies were established for CDH1 (72%) and HIC1 (82%). The CpG islands of p14 and p15 proved to be nonmethylated. At least one gene was methylated in 90% (46/51) tumors and no gene, in 10% (5/51) tumors. In addition, the genes were tested for methylation in peripheral blood lymphocytes of healthy subjects. Methylation frequency significantly differed between tumors and normal cells in the case of RB1, p16, CDH1, HIC1, and N33. Gene methylation frequency was tested for association with histological type of the tumor and stage of tumor progression. Methylation index of a panel of tumor suppressor genes was established for groups of tumors varying in clinical and morphological parameters.     

Detection of methylation of human p16(Ink4a) gene 5'-CpG islands by electrochemical method coupled with linker-PCR

Aberrant DNA methylation of the CpG site is among the earliest and most frequent alterations in cancer. Detection of promoter hypermethylation of cancer-related genes may be useful for cancer diagnosis or the detection of recurrence. p16, an inhibitor of the cyclin D-dependent protein kinases, is a classical tumor suppressor gene, and its inactivation is closely associated with carcinogenesis. p16 hypermethylation could be detected in each stage, which is consistent with the finding that aberrant methylation of p16 is a very early event in carcinogenesis. We have developed an electrochemical procedure for detecting DNA methylation of the human p16(Ink4a) gene. The procedure is based on the coupling of DNA electrochemical sensors with linker-PCR- amplified DNA from human gastric tumor tissue and whole blood cells of healthy human. The synthesized oligonucleotide was immobilized on the modified gold electrode to fabricate a DNA biosensor. The hybridization reaction on the electrode surface was monitored by cyclic voltammogram (CV) and square wave voltammogram (SWV), using [Co(phen)(3)](ClO(4))(3) as a redox indicator. Methylation status of human p16(Ink4a) gene was detected and the results were validated by bisulfite DNA sequencing. A good reproducibility was observed in several parallel experiments. The coupling of DNA electrochemical sensors with PCR allowed quick detection and have the potential of the quantitative evaluation of the methylation status of the human p16(Ink4a) gene.     

HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 methylation changes promote the occurrence and progression of Kazakh ESCC

Human leukocyte antigen II (HLA-II) plays an important role in host immune responses to cancer cells. Changes in gene methylation may result in aberrant expression of HLA-II, serving a key role in the pathogenesis of Kazakh esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We analyzed the expression level of HLA-II (HLA-DP, -DQ, and -DR) by immunohistochemistry, as well as the methylation status of HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 by MassARRAY spectrometry in Xinjiang Kazakh ESCC. Expression of HLA-II in ESCC was significantly higher than that in cancer adjacent normal (ACN) samples (P < 0.05). Decreased HLA-II expression was closely associated with later clinical stages of ESCC (P < 0.05). Hypomethylation of HLA-DRB1 and hypermethylation of HLA-DQB1 was significantly correlated with occurrence of Kazakh ESCC (P < 0.01), and mainly manifested as hypomethylation of CpG9, CpG10-11, and CpG16 in HLA-DRB1 and hypermethylation of CpG6-7 and CpG16-17 in HLA-DQB1 (P < 0.01). Moreover, hypomethylation of HLA-DQB1 CpG6-7 correlated with poor differentiation in ESCCs, whereas hypermethylation of HLA-DRB1 CpG16 and hypomethylation of HLA-DQB1 CpG16-17 were significantly associated with later stages of ESCC (P < 0.05). A significant inverse association between HLA-DRB1 CpG9 methylation and HLA-II expression was found in ESCC (P < 0.05). These findings suggest aberrant HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 methylation contributes to the aberrant expression of HLA-II. These molecular changes may influence the immune response to specific tumor epitopes, promoting the occurrence and progression of Kazakh ESCC.     

hTERT methylation and expression in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is the second most prevalent cause of cancer death worldwide. DNA methylation is a common event in gastric carcinogenesis. hTERT seems to be the rate-limiting determinant of telomerase activation, which is responsible for stability and life span. hTERT hypermethylation has been associated with telomerase expression. In the present study, we investigated the promoter methylation status and hTERT protein expression in gastric cancer and normal mucosa samples. One hundred and nine gastric cancer and 53 normal mucosa samples were investigated through methylation-specific PCR. Immunohistochemistry was analysed using peroxidase in 55 gastric cancer and 18 normal gastric mucosa samples. This is the first study evaluating hTERT methylation status in gastric carcinogenesis. We did not observe hTERT protein expression in normal gastric mucosa. Moreover, hTERT expression was observed in 80% of tumours and was associated with gastric cancer (p?<?0.0001). Partial methylation was the most frequent pattern in gastric samples, even in normal mucosa. The frequency of specimens presenting hypermethylation was significantly higher in tumours than in normal mucosa samples (p?=?0.0002), although the presence of hypermethylated promoter was not associated with a higher frequency of hTERT expression. A low correlation between hTERT protein expression and methylation was verified in gastric cancer samples. There was a clear difference in the frequency of hTERT expression and methylation within tumoral and non-tumoral tissues. Methylation status and telomerase expression may be useful for the diagnosis of gastric cancer and may have an impact on the anti-telomerase strategy for cancer therapy.     

Inactivation of p16INK4a in Primary Tumors and Cell Lines of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Inactivation of the p16^INK4a gene by mutation and deletion is common in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The present study demonstrates that hypermethylation of the 5 CpG islands can serve as an alternative mechanism for the inactivation of the p16^INK4a gene in this tumor. We studied 11 HNSCC cell lines and 17 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) primary tumors for p16^INK4a gene status by protein/mRNA and DNA genetic/epigenetic analyses to determine the incidence of its inactivation. Our study indicates that: (1) inactivation of p16 protein is frequent in HNSCC cell lines (6/11, 54.5%) and OSCC primary tumors (15/17, 88.2%), (2) inactivation of p16^INK4a protein is commonly associated with the presence of gene alteration such as mutation, homozygous deletion and especially aberrant methylation, and (3) genomic sequencing of bisulfite-modified DNA shows that the carcinoma develops a heterogeneous pattern of hypermethylation.     

Specific 50'CpG island methylation signatures of FHIT and p16 genes and their potential diagnostic relevance in Indian breast cancer patients

Even after tremendous molecular studies, early detection,more accurate and sensitive diagnosis, and prognosis of breast cancer appear to be a riddle so far. To stab the enigma, this study is designed to envisage DNA methylation signatures as cancer-specific and stage-specific biomarkers in Indian patients. Rigorous review of scattered scientific reports on aberrant DNA methylation helped us to select and analyze a potential tumor suppressor gene pair (FHIT and p16 genes) in breast cancer patients. Methylation signatures from 232 primary sporadic breast cancer patients were pinpointed by methylation-specific PCR (MSP). To increase the sensitivity, we combined both MSP and expression studies (RT-PCR and Northern blotting) in a reproducible manner. Statistical analysis illustrated that hypermethylation of FHIT gene ( p < 0.0001) and p16 gene ( p=0.04) may be used as a potential diagnostic marker to diagnose the early and locally advanced stages of breast cancer. Additionally, the study authenticates the dependency of methylation and expressional loss of p16 gene on FHIT gene silencing. This observation not only describes the severity of disease when both genes are silenced but also drives to speculate the molecular cross talk between two genes or genetic pathways dictated by them separately.     

Frequent intra-tumoural heterogeneity of promoter hypermethylation in malignant melanoma

To investigate intra-tumoural coexistence and heterogeneity of aberrant promoter hypermethylation of different tumour suppressor genes in melanoma, we analyzed the intra-tumoural distribution of promoter methylation of RASSF1A, p16, DAPK, MGMT, and Rb in 339 assays of 34 tumours (15 melanoma primaries, 19 metastases) by methylation-specific PCR, correlation to histopathology and RASSF1A expression. We detected promoter hypermethylation of at least one gene in 74% of tumours (30%, 52%, 33%, 20%, and 40% for RASSF1A, p16, DAPK, MGMT and Rb, respectively). 70% of the cases exhibited an inhomogeneous methylation pattern (17%, 45%, 33%, 20%, and 40% for RASSF1A, p16, DAPK, MGMT and Rb, respectively). Samples from the core of the tumours represented the methylation state of the whole tumours more accurately than the periphery. Local intra-tumoural correlation was found between the promoter hypermethylation state of p16 and Rb or p16 and DAPK, or epitheloid tumour cell type and RASSF1A or p16 methylation. Mitosis rate and sex was correlated with methylation of RASSF1A. Histological results confirmed that promoter hypermethylation of RASSF1A led to aberrant expression patterns. We conclude that intra-tumoural inhomogeneity of promoter hypermethylation is frequent in melanoma and this supports the hypothesis of clonal instability during progression of melanomas. In prognosis studies, missing the intra-tumoural sample representativeness may result in a reduction of the sensitivities or specificities.