title: Promoter polymorphisms and methylation of E-cadherin (CDH1) and KIT in gastric cancer patients from northern Brazil.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil. bnborges@ufpa.br
authors.forename: Bárbara do Nascimento
authors.initials: Bdo N
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.forename: Erivelton da Silva
authors.initials: Eda S
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo Matos Carvalho
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.forename: Laine Celestino
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Nilson Praia
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Anselmo
authors.forename: Juarez Antônio Simões
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Quaresma
authors.forename: Danielle Queiroz
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Calcagno
authors.forename: Rommel Mario Rodríguez
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Burbano
authors.forename: Maria Lúcia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Harada
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit