LINE-1 hypomethylation in cancer is highly variable and inversely correlated with microsatellite instability.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Alterations in DNA methylation in cancer include global hypomethylation and gene-specific hypermethylation. It is not clear whether these two epigenetic errors are mechanistically linked or occur independently. This study was performed to determine the relationship between DNA hypomethylation, hypermethylation and microsatellite instability in cancer.

Methodology/principal findings

We examined 61 cancer cell lines and 60 colorectal carcinomas and their adjacent tissues using LINE-1 bisulfite-PCR as a surrogate for global demethylation. Colorectal carcinomas with sporadic microsatellite instability (MSI), most of which are due to a CpG island methylation phenotype (CIMP) and associated MLH1 promoter methylation, showed in average no difference in LINE-1 methylation

SUBMITTER: Estecio MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1851990 | biostudies-literature | 2007 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature