Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0033036 (APC)
 10,214 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Aberrant DNA methylation is recognized as being a common feature of human neoplasia.CpG island hypermethylation and global genomic hypomethylation occur simultaneously in the cancer cell. However, very little is known about the interindividual inherited susceptibility to these epigenetic processes. To address this matter, we have genotyped in 233 cancer patients (with colorectal, breast, or lung tumors), four germ-line variants in three key genes involved in the metabolism of the methyl group, methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase, methionine synthase, and cystathionine beta-synthase, and analyzed their association with DNA methylation parameters. The epigenetic features analyzed were the 5-methylcytosine content in the genome of the tumors and their normal counterparts, and the presence of CpG island hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes (p16(INK4a), p14(ARF), hMLH1, MGMT, APC, LKB1, DAPK, GSTP1, BRCA1, RAR beta 2, CDH1, and RASSF1). Two positive associations were found. First, carriers of genotypes containing the methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase 677T allele show constitutive low levels of 5-methylcytosine in their genomes (P = 0.002), and tumors in these patients do not achieve severe degrees of global hypomethylation (P = 0.047). Second, tumors occurring in homozygous carriers of the methionine synthase 2756G allele show a lower number of hypermethylated CpG islands of tumor suppressor genes (P = 0.029). The existence of these associations may provide another example of the interplay between genetic and epigenetic factors in the cancer cell.
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PMID:Germ-line variants in methyl-group metabolism genes and susceptibility to DNA methylation in normal tissues and human primary tumors. 1215 64

Aberrant methylation of promoter CpG islands of human genes has been known as an alternative mechanism of gene inactivation and contributes to the carcinogenesis in many human tumors. We attempted to determine the methylation status of 18 genes, or loci known to be frequently methylated in cancers of other organs, in 79 resected intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas and 15 normal bile duct epithelium by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction and correlated the data with clinicopathological findings. Methylation frequencies of the loci tested in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas were 59.5% for 14-3-3sigma,26.6% for APC, 21.5% for E-cadherin, 17.7% for p16, 11.4% for MGMT, 11.4% for THBS1, 8.9% for p14, 8.9% for TIMP3, 7.6% for DAP-kinase,6.3% for GSTP1, 5.1% for COX-2, 50.6% for MINT12, 40.5% for MINT1, 15.4% for MINT25, 35.4% for MINT32, and 1.3% for MINT31. Sixty-two (78.5%) of the 79 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas had methylation in at least one of these loci. Methylation was not detected in normal bile duct samples. There was a significant correlation between methylation and expressional decrease or loss of p16, E-cadherin, and GSTP1 proteins (P = 0.028, P = 0.044, and P < 0.001, respectively). The overall survival was poorer in the patients with CpG island methylation of APC, p16, and TIMP3 than in the patients without methylation (Kaplan-Meier log-rank test, P = 0.0128, 0.0447, and 0.0137, respectively). Age, gender, tumor stage, gross type, histological type, and differentiation had no correlation with methylation status of the specific gene. These results suggest that methylation is a frequent event in cholangiocarcinomas and contributes to the cholangiocarcinogenesis, and that CpG island methylation of APC, p16, or TIMP-3 may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker of the cholangiocarcinomas.
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PMID:Aberrant CpG island methylation of multiple genes in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. 1221 30

Gastric cancer of youth is predominantly a disease of women, usually of the signet-ring cell subtype, with a predilection for metastasizing to the ovaries. The metastatic ovarian tumor is named a Krukenberg tumor. However, the characteristic genetic alterations between the primary gastric cancer and its metastatic ovarian tumor have not been studied. We used laser capture microdissection to procure tissues from 7 patients with gastric cancer who had ovarian metastases (Krukenberg tumor) and tissues from 14 patients with gastric cancer without ovarian metastases. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis was performed by use of 16 polymorphic markers, which are mapped to the FHIT, APC, p16, BRCA2, E-cadherin, p53, BRCA1, and DPC4 loci. Immunohistochemical staining with anti-Fhit antibody was performed in 7 Krukenberg tumors and 92 gastric cancers without ovarian metastases. LOH at the FHIT locus was observed in six (85.7%) of the seven Krukenberg tumors. In contrast, the gastric cancers without ovarian metastases showed a lower frequency (28.6%, 4/14) of LOH at the FHIT locus (p < 0.05, odds ratio = 1/15). Anti-Fhit antibody showed that expression of Fhit was lost in each of the 7 (100%) Krukenberg tumors but in only 41 (44.6%) of the 92 patients who had gastric cancer without ovarian metastases (p < 0.05; odds ratio = 1/18.614). Further analysis showed that loss of Fhit expression is highly associated with signet-ring cell type gastric cancer (p < 0.0001, odds ratio = 62.5) but is not correlated with prognosis. Alteration of the FHIT gene is a characteristic of signet-ring cell type gastric cancer and Krukenberg tumor.
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PMID:Preferential loss of Fhit expression in signet-ring cell and Krukenberg subtypes of gastric cancer. 1221 81

Small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNC) is a well characterized malignancy with distinctive cellular morphology and aggressive biologic behavior most frequently encountered in the lung but also noted for origin from other sites. The basis for this difference in incidence and the impact of primary site location on the molecular pathogenesis of the neoplasm is not well understood. To address this issue and to identify reliable molecular markers of potential diagnostic value for primary site localization of this tumor, we have compared the genetic profile of cancer-related gene damage of SCNC arising from a variety of organ sites. The analysis involved microdissected paraffin-embedded formalin fixed specimens of SCNC. Tumors were organized into 3 groups: lung (n = 18), head and neck region (n = 5), and gastrointestinal tract (n = 5). Genotyping evaluated allelic imbalance (loss of heterozygosity) involving genomic regions containing p53 (17p13), L-myc (1p34), OGG1 (3p26), MCC/APC (5q21), p16 (9p21), PTEN (10q23), and point mutational change in K-ras-2 (12p12) using polymerase chain reaction-based microsatellite analysis and DNA sequencing. Distinct genotypic profiles of allelic imbalance using this panel was seen for each group of SCNC enabling primary site determination to be suggested based on genotypic profiling of microdissected tissue samples. Despite similarity in histologic appearance, our study suggests that SCNC have a unique pattern of acquired allelic damage that is determined in part by primary site of tumor development. These attributes can be effectively used for primary localization of metastatic SCNC, thereby assisting in the diagnosis and classification of this neoplasm.
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PMID:Small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma displays unique profiles of tumor-suppressor gene loss in relationship to the primary site of formation. 1237 19

Previous research has shown that many of the CD4 T cells from older mice do not form functional immune synapses after conjugation with peptide-pulsed APC. We now show that the defect lies at a very early stage in the cytoskeletal reorganization that precedes movement of protein kinases and their substrates to the TCR/APC interface. Antagonist peptides presented to T cells from young mice induce migration of talin (but not paxillin, vinculin, or F-actin) to the APC contact zone, but CD4 T cells from older donors typically fail to show the talin polarization response. A spreading assay in which contact with anti-CD3-coated slides induces CD4 T cells to assume a conical shape and develop lammelopodia also shows a decline with age in the proportion of T cells that can initiate cytoskeletal changes in response to this simplified stimulus. Finally, the transition from detergent-soluble to cytoskeletal forms of the p16, p21, and p23 isoforms of CD3zeta in response to CD3/CD4/CD28 cross-linking is much stronger in young than in old T cells. Thus, defects in cytoskeletal reorganization triggered by initial contact between TCR and peptide-bearing APC precede, and presumably contribute to, defective activation of protein kinase-mediated signals in the first few minutes of the activation cascade in T cells from aged mice.
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PMID:Age-dependent defects in TCR-triggered cytoskeletal rearrangement in CD4+ T cells. 1239 Dec 17

Aberrant methylation of several known or putative tumor suppressor genes occurs frequently during the pathogenesis of lung cancers. There are major smoke exposure, histology, geography and gender-related changes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We investigated smoking-related, histologic, geographic and gender differences in the methylation profiles of resected NSCLCs. We examined 514 cases of NSCLC and 84 corresponding nonmalignant lung tissues from 4 countries (USA, Australia, Japan and Taiwan) for the methylation status of 7 genes known to be frequently methylated in lung cancers [p16, RASSF1A (RAS association domain family 1), APC, RARbeta, CDH13, MGMT and GSTP1]. Multivariate analyses were used for data analysis. Adenocarcinoma was the major histologic type in women and never smokers; analyses that involved smoke exposure and gender were limited to this histology. Our major findings are a) methylation status of any single gene was largely independent of methylation status of other genes; b) the rates of methylation of p16 and APC and the mean Methylation Index (MI), a reflection of the overall methylation status, were significantly higher in ever smokers than in never smokers; c) the mean MI of tumors arising in former smokers was significantly lower than the mean of current smokers; d) the methylation rates of APC, CDH13 and RARbeta were significantly higher in adenocarcinomas than in squamous cell carcinomas; e) methylation rates of MGMT and GSTP1 were significantly higher in the USA and Australian cases than in those from Japan and Taiwan; and (f) no significant gender-related differences in methylation patterns were noted. Our findings demonstrate important smoke exposure, histologic type and geography-related differences in the methylation profiles of NSCLC tumors.
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PMID:Smoke exposure, histologic type and geography-related differences in the methylation profiles of non-small cell lung cancer. 1245 28

The genomic alterations in preneoplastic lesions are summarized in this review. 3p and 9p in the lung, 9p in the bladder, 8p in the prostata, 19q and 1p in oligodendroglioma, and 22q in meningioma were reported to be deleted. Somatic mutation of p53 was found in preneoplastic lesions of the esophagus, stomach, colon, thyroid, and astrocytoma. Adenoma-carcinoma sequence (Apc, ras, p53 gene alterations) in colon, LKB1 gene in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, Smad4 in juvenile polyposis, hMSH2, hMLH1, PMS1, PMS2 genes in HNPCC, VHL gene in kidney, WT1 in Wilms tumor, RB gene in retinoblastoma, and ret gene in MEN were reportedly altered in preneoplastic lesions involved in hereditary tumors. Cervical dysplasia and papilloma of the head and neck infected by human papilloma virus and liver infected by B-type hepatitis virus are also precancerous. Genomic instability, APC gene alteration, point mutation of K-ras in preneoplastic lesions of stomach and K-ras and p16 alterations in metaplasia of pancreas were also found. Advances in research on genomic alterations in preneoplastic lesions will contribute to prevention and early detection of cancer.
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PMID:[Genomic alterations in preneoplastic lesions]. 1250 66

Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) are histologically heterogeneous neoplasms with variable malignant potential. Previously, we demonstrated frequent 3p allele loss in TGCTs, and recently we and others have shown that the 3p21.3 RASSF1A tumour suppressor gene (TSG) is frequently inactivated by promoter hypermethylation in a wide range of cancers including lung, breast, kidney and neuroblastoma. In order to investigate the role of epigenetic events in the pathogenesis of TGCTs, we analysed the promoter methylation status of RASSF1A and nine other genes that may be epigenetically inactivated in cancer (p16(INK4A), APC, MGMT, GSTP1, DAPK, CDH1, CDH13, RARbeta and FHIT) in 24 primary TGCTs (28 histologically distinct components). RASSF1A methylation was detected in four of 10 (40%) seminomas and 15 of 18 (83%) nonseminoma TGCT (NSTGCT) components (P=0.0346). None of the other nine candidate genes were methylated in seminomas, but MGMT (44%), APC (29%) and FHIT (29%) were frequently methylated in NSTGCTs. Furthermore, in two mixed germ cell tumours, the NSTGCT component for one demonstrated RASSF1A, APC and CDH13 promoter methylation, but the seminoma component was unmethylated for all genes analysed. In the second mixed germ cell tumour, the NSTGCT component was methylated for RASSF1A and MGMT, while the seminoma component was methylated only for RASSF1A. In all, 61% NSTGCT components but no seminoma samples demonstrated promoter methylation at two or more genes (P=0.0016). These findings are consistent with a multistep model for TGCT pathogenesis in which RASSF1A methylation occurs early in tumorigenesis and additional epigenetic events characterize progression from seminoma to NSTGCTs.
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PMID:Frequent epigenetic inactivation of the RASSF1A tumour suppressor gene in testicular tumours and distinct methylation profiles of seminoma and nonseminoma testicular germ cell tumours. 1254 68

Tumour cell lines are commonly used in colorectal cancer (CRC) research, including studies designed to assess methylation defects. Although many of the known genetic aberrations in CRC cell lines have been comprehensively described, no studies have been performed on their methylation status. In this study, 30 commonly used CRC cell lines as well as seven primary tumours from individuals with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) were assessed for methylation at six CpG islands known to be hypermethylated in colorectal cancer: hMLH1, p16, methylated in tumour (MINT-)-1, -2, -12 and -31. The cell lines were also assessed for microsatellite instability (MSI), ploidy status, hMLH1 expression, and mutations in APC and Ki-ras. Methylation was frequently observed at all examined loci in most cell lines, and no differences were observed between germline-derived and sporadic cell lines. Methylation was found at MINT 1 in 63%, MINT 2 in 57%, MINT 12 in 71%, MINT 31 in 53%, p16 in 71%, and hMLH1 in 30% of cell lines. Overall only one cell line, SW1417, did not show methylation at any locus. Methylation was found with equal frequency in MSI and chromosomally unstable lines. MSI was over-represented in the cell lines relative to sporadic CRC, being detected in 47% of cell lines. The rate of codon 13 Ki-ras mutations was also over three times that expected from in vivo studies. We conclude that CpG island hypermethylation, whether acquired in vivo or in culture, is a ubiquitous phenomenon in CRC cell lines. We suggest that CRC cell lines may be only representative of a small subset of real tumours, and this should be taken into account in the use of CRC cell lines for epigenetic studies.
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PMID:CpG island methylation is a common finding in colorectal cancer cell lines. 1256 85

To understand the role of gene promoter methylation in neoplastic evolution and progression, the methylation changes associated with 15 candidate tumor suppressor genes were studied throughout stages of tumor progression involving intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) of the pancreas. Genomic DNA from 28 pancreatic IPMN tissue samples, categorized histologically as non-invasive intraductal IPMN (n = 3), IPMN with carcinoma in situ (n = 7), IPMN with microinvasion <1 mm (n = 4), and infiltrative IPMN with associated adenocarcinoma (n = 14), was modified by bisulfite treatment and analyzed with methylation-specific PCR (MSP). Promoter methylation of at least one tumor suppressor gene was present in 26/28 (92%) of the IPMNs. The cell cycle control genes, p16 and p73, were methylated frequently (>50%) in both non-invasive and invasive tumors. APC methylation was discovered in <10% of the non-invasive IPMNs versus 45% of the IPMNs associated with infiltrative adenocarcinoma, P = 0.040. Mismatch repair genes, hMLH1 and MGMT, were frequently methylated in the invasive IPMNs compared with the non-invasive tumors (38 versus 10% and 45 versus 20%, respectively) as was E-cadherin (38 versus 10%), P = 0.11. Multiple gene methylation at greater than three loci was present in 55% of the invasive tumors compared with 20% of the non-invasive tumors, P = 0.075. Lymph node status did not predict multi-gene methylation among tumors associated with invasive cancer. Compared with non-invasive IPMNs of the pancreas, IPMNs associated with adenocarcinoma demonstrate higher rates of aberrant tumor suppressor gene methylation. The sequential acquisition of hypermethylation at multiple gene promoter sites may explain tumor progression in IPMNs and other malignancies. Detection of methylation within selected genes may afford an accurate diagnostic molecular marker and predictor of neoplastic behavior.
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PMID:Molecular progression of promoter methylation in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) of the pancreas. 1258 67


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