title: Aberrant methylation of the UNC5C gene is frequently detected in advanced colorectal cancer.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, 1-30 Fujigaoka, Aoba-ku, Yokohama 227-8501, Japan. kenjih-ngy@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hibi
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mizukami
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shirahata
authors.forename: Tetsuhiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakata
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
authors.forename: Gaku
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kigawa
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nemoto
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sanada