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The Expression and Clinical Significance of DNA Methyltransferase Proteins in Human Gastric Cancer

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Abstract

This study investigates the varied expression of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) proteins in gastric cancer (GC) and their relationship with the biological behavior of the tissues. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of the 3 DNMTs in gastric tissues. We discovered that the positive rates of DNMT1, DNMT3a, and DNMT3b expression in GC tissues were 81.6%, 81.6%, and 68.4%, respectively, and they were significantly higher than those of both para-cancerous (39.5%, 50%, and 44.7%) and normal tissues (10.5%, 10.5%, and 7.9%). DNMT1 was well distributed in the cytoplasm and nuclei of tumor cells or glands, while DNMT3a and 3b were well distributed only in the cytoplasm, as shown by staining a dark brown color. A significant correlation between the DNMT1 and DNMT3a proteins (P < 0.01), a low correlation between DNMT3a and DNMT3b (P < 0.05), and no correlation between DNMT1 and DNMT3b (P > 0.05) were observed. DNMT1 protein expression exhibited no correlation with age, lymphnode metastasis, and also tumor differentiation, but it may have had a correlation with gender. The DNMT3 family was not associated with these factors. Therefore, DNMT overexpression is involved in gastric tumorigenesis, but there is no correlation between the DNMTs and the biological behaviors of tissues.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (973 Program) (No. 2005CB522400), the Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project (No.Y0205) and the Shanghai Municipal Commission for Science and Technology (No.04DZ14006) to FJY (Jing-Yuan Fang).

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  1. Wen-Jin Ding

    Present address: Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai, China

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  1. Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine Renji Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, 145 Middle Shandong Road, Shanghai, 200001, China

    Wen-Jin Ding, Jing-Yuan Fang, Xiao-Yu Chen & Yan-Shen Peng

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  1. Wen-Jin Ding
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Correspondence to Jing-Yuan Fang.

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Ding, WJ., Fang, JY., Chen, XY. et al. The Expression and Clinical Significance of DNA Methyltransferase Proteins in Human Gastric Cancer. Dig Dis Sci 53, 2083–2089 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-007-0145-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-007-0145-2

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