Frequent methylation of Vimentin in well-differentiated gastric carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Recently, it was shown that the vimentin gene, usually activated in mesenchymal cells, was highly methylated in colorectal carcinoma.


METHODS
The methylation status of the vimentin gene was examined in primary carcinomas and the corresponding normal tissues derived from 37 patients with gastric carcinoma using quantitative methylation-specific PCR (qMSP) and the correlation between the methylation status and the clinicopathological findings was evaluated.


RESULTS
Aberrant methylation of the vimentin gene was detected in 14 out of 37 (38%) primary gastric carcinomas. This result suggested that the aberrant methylation of the vimentin gene was frequent in gastric carcinomas. Subsequently, clinicopathological data were correlated with the methylation score. A significant difference was observed in histology (p=0.0429). In addition, a trend was shown toward advancement of gastric carcinomas with vimentin methylation (p=0.0588).


CONCLUSIONS
In gastric carcinomas, well-differentiated adenocarcinoma was significantly methylated compared to poorly differentiated.
Kitamura
Yo-Hei
YH
Department of Surgery, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, Aoba-ku, Yokohama 227-8501, Japan.
Shirahata
Atsushi
A
Sakata
Makiko
M
Goto
Tetsuhiro
T
Mizukami
Hiroki
H
Saito
Mitsuo
M
Ishibashi
Kazuyoshi
K
Kigawa
Gaku
G
Nemoto
Hiroshi
H
Sanada
Yutaka
Y
Hibi
Kenji
K
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000556:secondary; D000368:Aged; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019175:DNA Methylation; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D014746:Vimentin / Q000235:genetics*
D014746:Vimentin