title: Epigenetic inactivation of CHFR in nasopharyngeal carcinoma through promoter methylation.
abstract: Chromosomal instability (CIN) is a cytogenetic hallmark of human cancers. Increasing evidence suggests that impairment of mitotic checkpoint is causally associated with CIN. CHFR is one of the mitotic checkpoint regulators and it delays chromosome condensation in response to mitotic stress. Epigenetic inactivation of CHFR through promoter CpG hypermethylation may lead to CIN and has been reported in several human cancers. In this study, we investigated the CHFR gene expression in a panel of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), prostate, ovarian, and breast cancer cell lines. We found that the expression of CHFR mRNA was significantly decreased or undetectable in all eight NPC cell lines as well as three human NPC xenografts, whereas non-malignant nasopharyngeal cell lines and other cancer cell lines tested expressed CHFR at relatively high levels. Hypermethylation of CHFR promoter region was also strongly correlated with decreased CHFR expression in NPC cell lines and xenografts. Treatment with a methyltransferase inhibitor, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, led to restoration of CHFR expression in NPC cell lines. More importantly, hypermethylation of CHFR promoter region was detected in 61.1% (22 out of 36) of primary NPC tumors while it was absent in non-malignant tissues. These findings suggest that downregulation of CHFR is a common event in NPC cells which may be due to hypermethylation of the gene promoter region.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Biology Group, Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Hiu Wing
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Yick-Pang
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Ching
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Nicholls
authors.forename: Ming-Tat
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Sai Wah
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Tsao
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Yeun
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: Dong-Yan
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Xianghong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D018899:CpG Islands / Q000235:genetics; D019175:DNA Methylation; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics*; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000075223:Poly-ADP-Ribose Binding Proteins; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D000075223:Poly-ADP-Ribose Binding Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C412002:CHFR protein, human; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases