Intercellular heterogeneity of expression of the MGMT DNA repair gene in pediatric medulloblastoma.

ABSTRACT: DNA methylation and epigenetic inactivation of the O6-methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT) gene induces MGMT deficiency, reducing the tumor cell's DNA repair capacity and increasing its susceptibility to alkylating chemotherapeutic agents. Consequently, adult patients whose tumors are deficient in MGMT have better outcomes with alkylator chemotherapy, and MGMT methylation has been proposed as a screening marker of deficient tumors. In order to test the feasibility of this approach for medulloblastoma, a common brain tumor in children, we determined the methylation status, mRNA expression pattern, and protein expression of MGMT in a panel of clinical specimens. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed methylation of MGMT in 28 of 37 tumor samples. Quantitative real

SUBMITTER: Rood BR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1872000 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature