| Author: | Lin, Wai-fung |
| Title: | A study of DNA methylation in endometrial cancers in Chinese females |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2003 |
| Subject: | DNA -- Methylation Uterus -- Cancer Endometrium -- Cancer Women -- Diseases -- China -- Hong Kong Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Multi-disciplinary Studies School of Nursing |
| Pages: | x, 119 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Cancer is caused by genetic changes in DNA of somatic cells, which result in uncontrolled cell proliferation and immortality. Carcinogenesis is a multistep process involving activation of oncogenes, inactivation of tumor suppressor genes, and impairment of genes regulating apoptosis and DNA mismatch repair system. In addition to accumulating evidence of involvement of genetic mutations in carcinogenesis, hypermethylation of promoter CpG islands also play an important role in cancer development by silencing gene expression. This study aims at investigating the involvement of hypermethylation in carcinogenesis of endometrial cancers and providing a comprehensive methylation profile for Chinese women with this disease. In this study, the methylation status of seven tumor-related genes is investigated: p16INK4a, p15INK4b, p14ARF, RASSFIA, GSTPI, ECAD, and DAPK. The selection of genes aims at several characteristics of cancer: uncontrolled cell cycle (p16INK4a, p15INK4b, p14ARF, RASSFIA, and GSTPI), lack of apoptosis (DAPK), and metastasis and invasion (ECAD). The method used in this study is methylation-specific PCR. Compared with other methods, this method has the advantage of using paraffin-embedded tissue and is the most sensitive method available (detect 0.1% methylated alleles). The results showed that hypermethylation was detected in five of the seven target genes and 94% of the tumors showed hypermethylation in at least one target gene. The results conclude that hypermethylation is a common epigenetic event in the endometrial carcinogenesis. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b16911015.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 3.53 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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