High levels of global genome methylation in patients with retinoblastoma.

Retinoblastoma is a tumor of the embryonic neural retina in young children. The DNA methyltransferase 1 () gene has been demonstrated to be transcriptionally activated in cells lacking retinoblastoma 1 (). Thus, there is a direct interaction between and .

Novel mutations and role of the LKB1 gene as a tumor suppressor in renal cell carcinoma.

The tumor suppressor LKB1 gene is a master kinase and inhibits mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) by activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and AMPK-related kinases. LKB1 is a critical intermediate in the mTOR signaling pathway, and mutations of the LKB1 gene have been implicated in the development of different tumor types. Recent evidence indicates that LKB1 alterations contribute to cancer progression and metastasis by modulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production.

Investigation of the miR16-1 (C > T) + 7 Substitution in Seven Different Types of Cancer from Three Ethnic Groups.

Background. MicroRNAs are a type of small noncoding RNA molecules that have been shown to control gene expression in eukaryotes. Aberrant expression and alteration of miRNAs may be responsible for human diseases including cancer.

Are CYP17 genotypes a biomarker for ovarian cancer in patients with cancer history in their family?

BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are responsible for 5-10% of breast and ovarian cancer cases. However, the vast majority of ovarian and breast cancer cases do not display the hereditary form of the disease. Estrogen-metabolizing genes may also contribute to the predisposition of breast or ovarian cancer.

Cyp17 genetic polymorphism in prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Steroid hormones, especially androgens, are believed to play a key role in the etiology of prostate cancer. Therefore, polymorphisms in genes involved in the androgen metabolism may affect the risk of prostate cancer. One such gene is CYP17, which encodes the cytochrome P450c17alpha enzyme that mediates both 17alpha-hydroxylase and 17,20-lyase in the steroid biosynthesis pathway.