Journal article

Publication year: 2013

Pages: 1566-1576

Journal: Cancers

Volume number: 5

Issue number: 4

ISSN: 2072-6694

eISSN: 2072-6694

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers5041566

Publisher: MDPI

Abstract: 

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is one of the most aggressive cancers of the skin. RASSFs are a family of tumor suppressors that are frequently inactivated by promoter hypermethylation in various cancers. We studied CpG island promoter hypermethylation in MCC of RASSF2, RASSF5A, RASSF5C and RASSF10 by combined bisulfite restriction analysis (COBRA) in MCC samples and control tissue. We found RASSF2 to be methylated in three out of 43 (7%), RASSF5A in 17 out of 39 (44%, but also 43% in normal tissue), RASSF5C in two out of 26 (8%) and RASSF10 in 19 out of 84 (23%) of the cancer samples. No correlation between the methylation status of the analyzed RASSFs or between RASSF methylation and MCC characteristics (primary versus metastatic, Merkel cell polyoma virus infection, age, sex) was found. Our results show that RASSF2, RASSF5C and RASSF10 are aberrantly hypermethylated in MCC to a varying degree and this might contribute to Merkel cell carcinogenesis.

Harvard Citation style: Richter, A., Haag, T., Walesch, S., Herrmann-Trost, P., Marsch, W., Kutzner, H., et al. (2013) Aberrant Promoter Hypermethylation of RASSF Family Members in Merkel Cell Carcinoma, Cancers, 5(4), pp. 1566-1576. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers5041566

APA Citation style: Richter, A., Haag, T., Walesch, S., Herrmann-Trost, P., Marsch, W., Kutzner, H., Helmbold, P., & Dammann, R. (2013). Aberrant Promoter Hypermethylation of RASSF Family Members in Merkel Cell Carcinoma. Cancers. 5(4), 1566-1576. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers5041566