[Status of methylation of promoter of mis-match repair gene hMLH1 in lung cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To study the relationship between status of methylation of hMLH1 promoter and expression of its protein in lung cancer.


METHODS
Methylation of the hMLH1 gene promoter and hMLH1 protein was examined in 50 primary lung cancer tissues by Hpa II digestion-PCR and immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
The incidence of the hMLH1 promoter methylation was 32.0% (16/50). Methylation frequeney did not correlate with sex, smoking and clinicopathological characteristics. Negative expression of hMLH1 protein occurred in 14/46 tumors, of which 11 tumors had hMLH1 promoter methylation (78.6%, 11/14), while only 5 had methylation in 32 specimens positive for hMLH1 protein expression.


CONCLUSIONS
In about one-third of lung cancer tissues examined there exists methylation of hMLH1 promoter, which correlates well with the absence of expression of hMLH1 protein.
Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an 710004, China.
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G
Chen
T
T
Liu
J
J
He
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008745:Methylation; D008875:Middle Aged; D000070957:MutL Protein Homolog 1; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D018307:Neoplasms, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C501486:MLH1 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D000070957:MutL Protein Homolog 1