DNA Methylation Alterations in Breast Cancer
Abstract
We have performed the NotI-MseI MS-AFLP experiments using normal and tumor DNA from breast cancer patients and determined the identity of bands exhibiting consistent changes in breast cancer DNA fingerprints. One band, which exhibited a conspicuous increase in band intensity, contained a satellite DNA sequence in the pericentromeric regions of chromosomes. We have shown that this intensity change is frequently observed in breast cancer tissues and breast carcinoma cell lines and that it is caused by hypomethylation. Because the centromere plays a role in chromosome segregation during cell division, this satellite DNA hypomethylation may be important in carcinogenesis, predisposing cells to structural and numerical chromosomal aberrations through the altered interaction with centromere binding proteins. We have also observed frequent alterations in DNA methylation in homeobox genes and related gene sequences. Some of these changes were found to be associated with alterations in gene expression. Because regulated cell growth and differentiation are the basis of development and cancer results from uncontrolled growth of undifferentiated cells, we speculate that activation/inactivation of certain homeobox genes may contribute to carcinogenesis.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA408999
Entities
People
- Fumiichiro Yamamoto
Organizations
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute