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RhoBTB2 gene in breast cancer is silenced by promoter methylation

Weiwei Tang1, Chuan Wang1, Fangmeng Fu2

  • 1Department of Oncology, Graduate School of Education, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, P.R. China.

International Journal of Molecular Medicine
|December 21, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Aberrant methylation silences the RhoBTB2 tumor suppressor gene in breast cancer, leading to decreased mRNA expression. This methylation is linked to progesterone receptor-negative status, suggesting a role in breast cancer development.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Epigenetics

Background:

  • RhoBTB2 is a candidate tumor suppressor gene on chromosome 8p implicated in breast cancer.
  • Previous studies show RhoBTB2 inactivation is not explained by mutation and is silenced by hypermethylation in bladder cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if RhoBTB2 is silenced by promoter methylation in breast cancer.
  • To correlate RhoBTB2 methylation status with its mRNA expression and clinicopathological features.

Main Methods:

  • Nested methylation-specific PCR (nMSP) to assess RhoBTB2 promoter methylation.
  • Quantitative reverse transcription PCR to measure RhoBTB2 mRNA levels.
  • Analysis of 50 paired breast cancer and normal tissue samples.

Main Results:

  • RhoBTB2 promoter methylation and decreased mRNA expression were significantly observed in breast tumor tissues compared to normal tissues (P<0.001).
  • RhoBTB2 mRNA levels were significantly lower in methylated samples (P<0.001).
  • Methylation was preferentially detected in progesterone receptor (PR)-negative breast cancer samples (P<0.05).

Conclusions:

  • Aberrant methylation of RhoBTB2 is a key mechanism for its mRNA expression suppression in breast cancer.
  • RhoBTB2 silencing via methylation is a significant event in breast cancer genesis.
  • RhoBTB2 methylation status correlates with PR negativity, indicating a potential role in specific breast cancer subtypes.

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