title: Promoter methylation of CHFR gene in gastric carcinoma tissues detected using two methods.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Transcriptional silencing induced by CpG island methylation is believed to be one of the important mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Checkpoint with fork head-associated and ring finger (CHFR) governs the transition from prophase to prometaphase in response to mitotic stress. This study was to analyze the relationship between the methylation of CHFR gene and the clinicopathologic features of gastric cancer, and the difference of results between methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) and combined bisulfite restriction analysis (COBRA) in detecting aberrant methylation of CHFR gene in gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Both MSP and COBRA methods were used to detect the promoter methylation of CHFR gene in gastric cancer specimens from 64 patients. The relationship between methylation status of CHFR gene and the clinicopathologic features of gastric cancer were analyzed using SPSS16.0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The methylation rates of CHFR gene promoter were significantly higher in gastric cancer samples than in the corresponding paracancer normal gastric mucosa by MSP (51.6% vs. 18.8%, P < 0.001). However, there was no significant correlation between methylation status of CHFR gene and the clinicopathologic parameters of gastric cancer, including age, gender, tumor size, clinical stage, Borrman type, tumor invasion depth, differentiation, and lymph node metastasis (P > 0.05). Aberrant methylation of the CHFR gene was detected in 27 (42.2%) of the 64 specimens of gastric cancer using COBRA, which did not significantly differ from that using MSP (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aberrant methylation of the CHFR gene is a frequent event in the carcinogenesis of gastric cancer. Detecting the methylation of CHFR gene in gastric mucosa may conduce to the diagnosis of gastric cancer. No difference was found between MSP and COBRA in detecting promoter methylation of CHFR gene in gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gerontology, Province Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230001, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhao-Dong
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Shi-Lian
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Yu-Bei
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Wei-Ping
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Gan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Xiang-Yong
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Kong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D000075223:Poly-ADP-Ribose Binding Proteins; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D013447:Sulfites / Q000737:chemistry*; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D000075223:Poly-ADP-Ribose Binding Proteins; D013447:Sulfites; C412002:CHFR protein, human; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; C042345:hydrogen sulfite