[Methylation profile of INK4B-ARF-INK4A locus in atherosclerosis]

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 9p21.3 locus have recently been demonstrated to be strongly associated with the risk of developing human atherosclerotic lesions. However, the pathophysiology of this locus is insufficiently studied. Here, the methylation profile of the nearest mapped genes for cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors CDKN2A (p16(INK4a), p14(ARF)) and CDKN2B (p15(LNK4b)) in the tissues of the carotid artery in patients with atherosclerosis was evaluated for the first time. Aberrant DNA methylation of the analyzed loci was not established in either the atherosclerotic plaques and in the tissues from the macroscopically unchanged previa vascular wall in the same patients.