Maryam Zare - Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, PO BOX 19395-3697 Tehran, I.R of Iran

Esophageal cancer is the 6th most frequent cause of cancer death worldwide. It has low survival, poor prognosis and the highest incidence rate in Iran. So, investigating its underlying mechanisms is essential for early detection and treatment. However, studies in Iran have been limited to tissue samples, since there is no established Iranian cell line. Several genetic and epigenetic alterations are involved in carcinogenesis of esophageal cancer. Among them, promoter hypermethylation is an important epigenetic mechanism of gene silencing. Otherwise, downregulation of tropomyosin isoforms, a family of cytoskeleton proteins, has been shown in esophageal cancer. So, the role of promoter hypermethylation in tropomyosin suppression was investigated in esophageal cancer.

Esophageal cancer, Tropomyosin, Hypermethylation