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Updated: Jul 8, 2026
Genome-Wide Analysis of DNA Methylation in Gastrointestinal Cancer
Published on: September 18, 2020
Methylation of TIMP3 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Eric Smith1, Neville J De Young, Zi-Qiang Tian
1Discipline of Surgery, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Royal Adelaide Hospital, South Australia 5005, Australia. eric.smith@adelaide.edu.au
Aim:
To measure the frequency of DNA methylation of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3) promoter and relate this to any change of gene expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in patients from a region of high incidence in China.
Methods:
Cancer cell lines were treated with or without the demethylating reagent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Methylation of the TIMP3 promoter was assessed in three regions by melt curve analysis and its expression was assessed by real-time RT-PCR. Tumors and proximal resection margins were obtained from 64 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma from a region of high incidence in China. Methylation was assessed by melt curve analysis and expression by immunohistochemistry.
Results:
Methylation in one of the three promoter regions assessed correlated with gene silencing in esophageal cell lines. A degree of methylation of TIMP3 was found in only four esophageal squamous cell carcinomas, and partial loss of TIMP3 protein expression in just one.
Conclusion:
Methylation and loss of expression of TIMP3 occurs infrequently in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a region of high incidence in China.
