Promoter polymorphisms and methylation of E-cadherin (CDH1) and KIT in gastric cancer patients from northern Brazil.
The aim of this study was to verify genetic and epigenetic alterations in gastric cancer patients from Pará state, northern Brazil.


METHODS
Exon 11 of KIT and two promoter polymorphisms (-160 C/A and -347 G/GA) of the E-cadherin gene (CDH1), and their correlation with the promoter methylation status were analyzed.


RESULTS
No genetic alterations in KIT were found. Promoter polymorphisms revealed an increased probability of developing gastric cancer, especially of the diffuse-type, in patients carrying -160 A and -347 GA alleles. Analyses of CDH1 methylation suggested a significant difference between hypermethylated and non-hypermethylated samples, with a positive association between the -160 A allele and hypermethylation.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that -160 A and -347 GA polymorphisms may increase the chance of developing gastric cancer in the studied population and that -160 A polymorphism seems to be related to the hypermethylation pattern of the promoter region of CDH1.
Borges
Bárbara do Nascimento
Bdo N
Molecular Biology Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil. bnborges@ufpa.br
Santos
Erivelton da Silva
Eda S
Bastos
Carlos Eduardo Matos Carvalho
CE
Pinto
Laine Celestino
LC
Anselmo
Nilson Praia
NP
Quaresma
Juarez Antônio Simões
JA
Calcagno
Danielle Queiroz
DQ
Burbano
Rommel Mario Rodríguez
RM
Harada
Maria Lúcia
ML
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics*; D018899:CpG Islands; D019175:DNA Methylation; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000235:genetics*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*
D015820:Cadherins; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit