The association of E-cadherin expression and the methylation status of the E-cadherin gene in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.
Loss of E-cadherin (E-cad) has been associated with progression and poor survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this study, we investigated the role of methylation on E-cad inactivation in NPC cell lines, as well as in NPC tissue samples. Using 6 NPC cell lines, we found that methylation of the E-cad 5' CpG island promoter region was correlated with the loss of both mRNA and E-cad protein expression in these cell lines. In addition, using 29 NPC and 10 non-malignant nasopharyngeal samples, we also observed 5' CpG methylation of the E-cad gene in 52% (15 out of 29) NPC samples, but in only 10% (1 out of 10) of the non-malignant nasopharyngeal tissues. Our findings indicate that 5' CpG island methylation of the E-cad gene may play an important part in the inactivation of E-cad in NPC. Our results also suggest that reducing the methylation of the E-cad gene may be a potential therapeutic strategy for NPC.
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China. gswtsao@hkucc.hku.hk
S W
SW
Tsao
Yu
Y
Liu
Xianghong
X
Wang
P W
PW
Yuen
S Y
SY
Leung
S T
ST
Yuen
Jie
J
Pan
John M
JM
Nicholls
A L M
AL
Cheung
Y C
YC
Wong
D015153:Blotting, Western; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018899:CpG Islands; D019175:DNA Methylation; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D015820:Cadherins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm