Abstract 4099: Utilization of methylation levels across the H19 and IGF2 genes as a predictive marker for various types of cancer

Abstract

Abstract H19 and IGF2 are reciprocally imprinted genes found on chromosome 11. Epigenetic gene deregulation is increasingly shown to play a role in many types of cancer. Imprinted genes are especially susceptible to epigenetic regulatory changes because of silencing of one allele and the dependence on proper methylation for normal function. One of the goals in cancer research is to identify molecular markers that will predict the onset of specific cancers. The pattern of methylation across the IGF2 and H19 genes can be used to characterize the difference between normal and cancerous tissue as well as the difference between different tumor tissues. By developing methylation assays that can determine the levels of methylation for all of the CpG sites across these two genes, we can establish patterns that could be predictive in detecting the onset of specific cancer types. We have developed numerous methylation assays across the H19 and IGF2 genes and have determined the methylation levels of DNA isolated from breast, cervical, ovarian and colon cancers and their corresponding normal tissue DNAs. We show that there are unique patterns of methylation between normal and cancerous tissues, as well as distinct patterns across different types of cancers. The differences in methylation patterns between DNA isolated from tumor and normal adjacent tissue across four different tumor types in these genes indicates the critical influence of epigenetic regulation in this region on the progression of cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4099. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4099