title: Normal colon tissue and colon carcinoma show no difference in heparanase promoter methylation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Heparanase, the sole heparan sulfate degrading enzyme, has a role in cellular invasion. Accordingly, a large number of studies have demonstrated an association between heparanase expression and tumor stage and patients' prognosis. In colon carcinoma, heparanase shows increased expression in tumor compared to normal tissue and its expression correlates with the presence of metastasis. One of the regulatory mechanisms of heparanase expression is de-methylation on its promoter. In the present study we evaluated the role of heparanase promoter methylation in colon carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of heparanase promoter methylation was done on 32 samples of colon carcinoma as well as 30 samples of normal colonic mucosa. DNA was extracted from FFPE tissue and subjected to bisulfite conversion. The relative fraction of methylated and unmethylated DNA was evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The fraction of methylated DNA was 1 ± 3.4% in the colon carcinoma group, and 2.5 ± 3.3% in the normal colon group (P=0.11). Only one case in the normal group and one case in the tumor group showed more than 10% methylation in the heparanase promoter.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We did not find any significant difference in heparanase promoter methylation between colon carcinoma and normal colonic mucosa, suggesting that heparanase overexpression in colon carcinoma is mediated by other mechanisms.
authors: Institute of Pathology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
authors: Yehudit
authors: Y
authors: Peerless
authors: Einav
authors: E
authors: Simon
authors: Edmond
authors: E
authors: Sabo
authors: Ofer
authors: O
authors: Ben-Izhak
authors: Dov
authors: D
authors: Hershkovitz
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics; D003106:Colon / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D019175:DNA Methylation; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D005966:Glucuronidase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D000099175:Heparanase
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D005966:Glucuronidase; D000099175:Heparanase