Methylation of the DCC gene is lost in advanced gastric cancer.
BACKGROUND
Deleted in colorectal carcinoma (DCC), 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, we examined the methylation status of the DCC gene in colorectal carcinomas and found that aberrant methylation of the DCC gene was detected in 28 out of the 50 (56%) primary colon carcinomas. This result prompted us to examine the methylation status of the DCC gene in gastric carcinoma.


METHODS
The methylation status of the DCC gene was examined in primary carcinomas and the corresponding normal tissues derived from 36 patients with gastric 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 DCC gene was detected in 16 out of the 36 (44%) primary gastric carcinomas. A significant difference was observed in regard to the TNM stage (p=0.0093).


CONCLUSIONS
DCC methylation was observed in the course of gastric carcinogenesis and disappeared in advanced gastric carcinoma.
Hibi
Kenji
K
Department of Surgery, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, 1-30 Fujigaoka, Aoba-ku, Yokohama 227-8501, Japan. kenjih-ngy@umin.ac.jp
Sakata
Makiko
M
Sakuraba
Kazuma
K
Kitamura
Yo-Hei
YH
Shirahata
Atsushi
A
Goto
Tetsuhiro
T
Mizukami
Hiroki
H
Saito
Mitsuo
M
Ishibashi
Kazuyoshi
K
Kigawa
Gaku
G
Nemoto
Hiroshi
H
Sanada
Yutaka
Y
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019175:DNA Methylation; D005260:Female; D016163:Genes, DCC; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*