title: Preliminary methylation analysis of prothymosin α genomic sequences.
abstract: Prothymosin α is a mammalian nuclear protein involved in cell proliferation and differentiation. Here, we carried out the first study of the methylation status of ProTα genomic sequences in cell lines during differentiation as well as in tumoral tissues. We found that there is hypermethylation in all cell lines analyzed with a pattern that is characteristic of each cell type revealing specific genomic reorganizations. The decrease of ProTα mRNA during differentiation was not accompanied by changes in the methylation status. Remarkably, we found that there is hypomethylation in gastrointestinal tumors when compared with the peritumoral tissue. The biological implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica e Bioloxía Molecular, Facultade de Bioloxía (edificio CIBUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain.
authors.forename: Leoncio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Álvarez-Fernández
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gómez-Márquez
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015894:Genome, Human; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013947:Thymosin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011498:Protein Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C040782:prothymosin alpha; D013947:Thymosin