DEAR1 is a dominant regulator of acinar morphogenesis and an independent predictor of local recurrence-free survival in early-onset breast cancer.

Background: Breast cancer in young women tends to have a natural history of aggressive disease for which rates of recurrence are higher than in breast cancers detected later in life. Little is known about the genetic pathways that underlie early-onset breast cancer. Here we report the discovery of DEAR1 (ductal epithelium-associated RING Chromosome 1), a novel gene encoding a member of the TRIM (tripartite motif) subfamily of RING finger proteins, and provide evidence for its role as a dominant regulator of acinar morphogenesis in the mammary gland and as an independent predictor of local recurrence-free survival in early-onset breast cancer.

A novel DNMT3B subfamily, DeltaDNMT3B, is the predominant form of DNMT3B in non-small cell lung cancer.

De novo promoter DNA methylation represses gene transcription and is a common mechanism to inactivate tumor suppressor genes in tumorigenesis. DNMT3B plays an important role in de novo DNA methylation. We report here the identification of a novel DNMT3B subfamily, termed DeltaDNMT3B, whose expression is initiated through a promoter located at intron 4 and exon 5 of the DNMT3B gene.

A novel C/T polymorphism in the core promoter of human de novo cytosine DNA methyltransferase 3B6 is associated with prognosis in head and neck cancer.

New biomarkers for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients are being sought to help predict disease outcome, guide treatment, and develop new treatments. In the present study, the association between a novel functional C/T polymorphism in the core promoter of cytosine DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) 3B6 and overall survival of HNSCC patients was investigated. Genomic DNA was extracted from tumor tissue and leukocytes from each HNSCC patient.

Aberrant promoter methylation of multiple genes in bronchial brush samples from former cigarette smokers.

Promoter hypermethylation plays an important role in the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes during tumorigenesis. Recent data suggest that such epigenetic abnormality may occur very early in lung carcinogenesis. To determine the extent of promoter hypermethylation in early lung tumorigenesis, we analyzed promoter methylation status of the p16, death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) and glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) genes using methylation-specific PCR in bronchial brush samples obtained from 100 former smokers enrolled in a chemoprevention clinical trial.