Methylation of CDH11is an Independent Prognostic Biomarker for Gastric Cancer Patients

Introduction & Aim: Gastric cancer is an aggressive malignancy which is the fourth most common cancer in the world. Epigenetic alterations including DNA methylation of tumor suppressor genes can promote cancer development. Cadherin 11 (CDH11) is a novel tumor suppressor gene which is methylated in several human cancers. The aim of this study is investigation of methylation status of CDH11 in gastric cancer samples for the first time. Methods About 12 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) gastric adenocarcinoma samples were obtained from department of Pathology of Imam Reza hospital, Tabriz, IRAN. DNA extraction was performed using a modified salting out method. The methylation status was verified by methylation-specific PCR (MSP) technique. DNA was converted by sodium bisulphite treatment using Epizen DNA Methylation Kit and used in PCR with specific primers for cadherin-11 promoter region. Four normal samples were used as control. Results: Results showed that 8 out of 12 tumor DNA samples (66.66%) are methylated. In contrast, all normal tissues were unmethylated. Conclusion: Here, we showed that CG sites covering the cadherin-11 promoter region are frequently methylated in gastric cancer patients. Therefore, CDH11 methylation status may be used as an independent prognostic biomarker for gastric cancer patients.