Aberrant methylation of the UNC5C gene is frequently detected in advanced colorectal cancer.
BACKGROUND
UNC5C, one of the Netrin-1 receptors, belongs to the functional dependence receptor family, members of which share the ability to induce apoptosis in the absence of their ligands. Recently, two reports indicated that UNC5C methylation was closely associated with loss of gene expression in colorectal cancer.


METHODS
The methylation status of the UNC5C gene was examined in primary carcinomas and the corresponding normal tissues derived from 49 patients with colorectal cancer using quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (qMSP) and the correlation between the methylation status and the clinicopathological findings was evaluated.


RESULTS
Aberrant methylation of the UNC5C gene was detected in 34 out of the 49 (69%) primary colon carcinomas, suggesting that the aberrant methylation of UNC5C was frequent in colorectal cancer. The clinicopathological data were then tested for correlation with this result. A significantly greater proportion of cases with methylated UNC5C was found in Dukes' stage C (p = 0.0380) than in earlier stages.


CONCLUSIONS
UNC5C might act as a tumor suppressor and UNC5C methylation might present a malignant potential in colorectal cancer.
Hibi
Kenji
K
Department of Surgery, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, 1-30 Fujigaoka, Aoba-ku, Yokohama 227-8501, Japan. kenjih-ngy@umin.ac.jp
Mizukami
Hiroki
H
Shirahata
Atsushi
A
Goto
Tetsuhiro
T
Sakata
Makiko
M
Saito
Mitsuo
M
Ishibashi
Kazuyoshi
K
Kigawa
Gaku
G
Nemoto
Hiroshi
H
Sanada
Yutaka
Y