Aberrant methylation of GCNT2 is tightly related to lymph node metastasis of primary CRC.
BACKGROUND
Glycoprotein expression profile is dramatically altered in human cancers; however, specific glycogenes have not been fully identified.


METHODS
A comprehensive real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system for glycogenes (CRPS-G) identified several outstanding glycogenes. GCNT2 was of particular interest after GCNT2 expression and epigenetics were rigorously investigated in primary colorectal cancer (CRC).


RESULTS
The highlights of this work can be summarized as follows: (i) Expression of GCNT2 was remarkably suppressed. (ii) Silenced expression of GCNT2 was reactivated by combined demethylating agents. (iii) Promoter DNA methylation of GCNT2 was silenced in CRC cell lines and tissues. Hypomethylation of GCNT2 variant 2 is tightly associated with lymph node metastasis in primary CRC. (iv) GCNT2 methylation level in the normal tissues also showed a close association with that in the tumor tissues and reflected lymph node metastasis.


CONCLUSIONS
We identified aberrant expression of GCNT2, which can be explained by promoter DNA hypermethylation. Hypomethylation of the GCNT2 variant 2 reflected lymph node metastasis of CRC in the tumor and normal tissues.
Department of Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
Kazunori
K
Nakamura
Department of Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
Keishi
K
Yamashita
Research Center for Medical Glycoscience, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Ibaraki, Japan.
Hiromichi
H
Sawaki
Department of Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
Mina
M
Waraya
Department of Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
Hiroshi
H
Katoh
Department of Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
Nobukazu
N
Nakayama
Department of Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
Hiroshi
H
Kawamata
Department of Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
Hiroshi
H
Nishimiya
Department of Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
Akira
A
Ema
Research Center for Medical Glycoscience, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Ibaraki, Japan.
Hisashi
H
Narimatsu
Department of Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan gekaw@med.kitasato-u.ac.jp.
Masahiko
M
Watanabe
D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D018899:CpG Islands; D019175:DNA Methylation; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D017351:N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
C106501:N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase IGnT; D017351:N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases
GCNT2; colorectal cancer; epigenetics; glycogene; lymph node metastasis