[Correlation between DNA methylation of the ABO gene promoter CpG island and leukemia]

Recent studies have found that ABO blood group antigen is also closely related to the onset and development of many diseases. More and more attention is being paid to the decrease of A/B blood group antigen caused by some tumors. This study was purpose to investigate the correlation between DNA methylation of the ABO gene promoter CpG island and leukemia. The relative contents of ABH antigen on the surface of RBC from kinds of blood disease patients and healthy individuals were detected by using flow cytometry and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The DNA sequences and CpG methylation of ABO gene promoter in patients with hematopathy and healthy individuals, as well as the -102 site methylation of ABO gene promoter in patients with hematopathy and healthy individuals were detected by PCR and MSP-PCR respectively. The results showed that RBC from leukemia patients displayed different degree of A/B antigen decrease. The sequences of ABO gene promotor of patients with hematopathy were not different from healthy individuals indicating high conservation of promoter sequences. Comparison of sequences between patients with hematopathy and healthy individual indicated that CpG islands on ABO gene promoter either from blood disease patients or from healthy individual had no methylated site in AA patients, but C residues at position -102, -101, -100, -99 and -97 on the promoter of ABO gene in AML, CML, ALL and some MDS patients were methylated. It is concluded that methylation of CpG islands in promoter of ABO gene may result in AB antigen decrease in patients with leukemia. The methylation sites -102, -101, -100, -99 and -97 may be specific for leukemia. The methylation of site -102 can be used as a molecular marker in differential diagnosis for leukemias.