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Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Genome-Wide Analysis of DNA Methylation in Gastrointestinal Cancer
Published on: September 18, 2020
Aberrant methylation of the Vimentin gene in hepatocellular carcinoma
Yohei Kitamura1, Atsushi Shirahata, Kazuma Sakuraba
1Gastroenterological Surgery, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Yokohama, Japan.
Background:
Recently, it was shown that the Vimentin gene, usually activated in mesenchymal cells, was highly methylated in colorectal carcinoma.
Materials And Methods:
The methylation status of the Vimentin gene was examined in primary carcinomas and the corresponding normal tissues derived from 43 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using quantitative methylation-specific PCR (qMSP) and the correlation between the methylation status and the clinicopathological findings was evaluated.
Results:
Aberrant methylation of the Vimentin gene was detected in 24 out of the 43 (56%) primary HCC. This result suggested that the aberrant methylation of the Vimentin gene was frequent in HCC. Subsequently, clinicopathological data were correlated with the methylation status. A significant difference was observed in the value of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) (p=0.045), maximal tumor size (p=0.048) and TNM stage (p=0.043) between the methylation-positive and -negative cases.
Conclusion:
Aberrant methylation of Vimetin might be an early event in the course of hepatocarcinogenesis.
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