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Promoter Methylation of Four Tumor Suppressor Genes in Human Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Fatemeh Khatami1, Bagher Larijani2, Ramin Heshmat1

  • 1Chronic Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Iranian Journal of Pathology
|November 23, 2019
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Promoter methylation of RASSF1, SLC5A8, and MGMT genes significantly differs between papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and goiter tissues. RASSF1 promoter methylation shows potential as a diagnostic marker for PTC.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Epigenetics

Background:

  • Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most prevalent thyroid malignancy.
  • Epigenetic alterations, specifically DNA methylation, can influence tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes in PTC.
  • Methylation patterns serve as potential indicators of PTC's invasive characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the promoter methylation status of four tumor suppressor genes (SLC5A8, RASSF1, MGMT, DNMT1) in PTC.
  • To compare methylation profiles between PTC tissues and non-cancerous goiter tissues.
  • To evaluate the potential of RASSF1 promoter methylation as a diagnostic marker for PTC.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM) assay to analyze promoter methylation.
  • Examined 55 PTC cases and 40 goiter samples.
  • Compared methylation data against standardized controls (0%, 50%, 100%).

Main Results:

  • Significant differences in promoter methylation were found for SLC5A8, RASSF1, and MGMT between PTC and goiter tissues (P < 0.05).
  • RASSF1 exhibited the most pronounced difference, with 77.2% hyper-methylation in PTC versus 15.6% in goiter (P < 0.001).
  • DNMT1 methylation status did not show significant differences between the groups.

Conclusions:

  • RASSF1 promoter methylation is a significant distinguishing factor between PTC and goiter.
  • RASSF1 promoter methylation can serve as a potential genetic marker for diagnosing PTC.
  • RASSF1 methylation is influenced by methyltransferase genes (DNMT1, MGMT) and their expression levels.
Keywords:
MethylationPapillary thyroid cancersTumor suppressor genes

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