Investigation of the E-cadherin Promoter Methylation in Patients with Colorectal Cancer in Iran

Objective: E-cadherin is widely down-regulated and tightly associated with tumor invasion and metastasis in multiple human cancer types. Recent studies have shown that aberrant methylation of the E-cadherin gene promoter contributes to its silencing. However, information regarding epigenetic inactivation of E-cadherin in colorectal cancer is insufficient. Herein, we correlate association of the methylation of the E-Cadherin promoter with pathological features of colorectal cancer as well as history and demographic data. Methods: We used methylation specific polymerase chain reaction (MSPCR) to examine methylation status of the 5’ CpG island of E-cadherin along with its expression by using RT-PCR following surgical resection of 66 unrelated patients with colorectal cancer. Results: Results showed that 35 out of 66 tumor DNA samples (53%) showed aberrant methylations. In contrast, all normal tissues were unmethylated. Conclusion: The obtained results show a similarity with the Japanese (54.5%) and Greek (55.7%) populations. The results have confirmed methylation of this gene in sporadic colorectal cancer cases (40.8%) in the Iranian population by researchers in Shiraz. These data suggest that epigenetic silencing via aberrant methylation of the E-cadherin promoter plays a critical role in the inactivation of this tumor suppressor gene in colorectal cancer.

Investigation of the E-cadherin Promoter Methylation in Patients with Colorectal Cancer in Iran Keywords:

Colorectal cancer , E-cadherin promoter , Methylation , Epigenetic , پروموتر ژن E- کادهرین , متیلاسیون , اپیژنتیک , سرطان روده بزرگ