Leili Bargi - Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Ahar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahar, Iran
Changiz Ahmadizadeh - Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Ahar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahar, Iran

 Background & Objective: Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent cancer in women worldwide and is one of the leading causes of deaths in women with cancer in developing countries. The most well-known cause of this cancer is being infected with human papillomavirus (HPV). This study aimed at evaluating the concurrent methylation pattern of the human papillomavirus genome in studying the DAPK1 gene as a diagnostic biomarker in cervical cancer.  Materials & Methods: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Islamic Azad University of Tabriz under the following ethical code, i.e., IR.IAU.TABRIZ.REC1398.001.This case-control study was conducted on 150 paraffin-embedded samples (75 marginal samples and 75 cervical cancer tissue samples) taken from women with cervical cancer. After extracting the total DNA, spectrophotometry and electrophoresis were performed on agarose gels to determine the quantity and quality of the extracted DNA. Changes in the DAPK1 gene methylation pattern were examined using High Resolution Melt Analysis Curve Method.  Results: The changes in theDAPK1 gene expression in the cervical tumor tissues increased compared to the marginal tissues, indicating a statistically significant difference (P<0/0001).  Conclusion: The results of the current study showed that the DAPK1 gene can be introduced as a possible prognosis for cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, more extensive studies with more samples are needed to be carried out.

Cervical cancer, DAPK1 gene, Human papillomavirus, Methylation