Identification of Novel Epigenetic Markers of Prostate Cancer by NotI-Microarray Analysis.

A significant need for reliable and accurate cancer diagnostics and prognosis compels the search for novel biomarkers that would be able to discriminate between indolent and aggressive tumors at the early stages of disease. The aim of this work was identification of potential diagnostic biomarkers for characterization of different types of prostate tumors. NotI-microarrays with 180 clones associated with chromosome 3 genes/loci were applied to determine genetic and epigenetic alterations in 33 prostate tumors.

Epigenetic alterations of chromosome 3 revealed by NotI-microarrays in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

This study aimed to clarify epigenetic and genetic alterations that occur during renal carcinogenesis. The original method includes chromosome 3 specific NotI-microarrays containing 180 NotI-clones associated with 188 genes for hybridization with 23 paired normal/tumor DNA samples of primary clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCC). Twenty-two genes showed methylation and/or deletion in 17-57% of tumors.

NotI microarrays: novel epigenetic markers for early detection and prognosis of high grade serous ovarian cancer.

Chromosome 3-specific NotI microarray (NMA) containing 180 clones with 188 genes was used in the study to analyze 18 high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) samples and 7 benign ovarian tumors. We aimed to find novel methylation-dependent biomarkers for early detection and prognosis of HGSOC. Thirty five NotI markers showed frequency of methylation/deletion more or equal to 17%.

Alterations of the WNT7A gene in clear cell renal cell carcinomas.

WNT7A (wingless-type MMTV integration site family, member 7A) is a known tumor suppressor gene of non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) and is frequently inactivated due to CpG-island hypermethylation in human cancers. The members of WNT family are involved in cell signaling and play crucial roles in cancer development. In the present work hypermethylation of the WNT7A gene was detected in 66% (29/44) of analyzed clear cell renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) using methyl-specific PCR (MSP).

BAGE Hypomethylation Is an Early Event in Colon Transformation and Is Frequent in Histologically Advanced Adenomas.

We showed earlier that BAGE (B melanoma antigen) loci are hypermethylated in normal tissues and hypomethylated in 98% of human cancers. More recently, we provided evidence that hypomethylation of BAGE loci represents an informative marker for colon cancer detection. In this study, we show that hypomethylation of BAGE loci was an early event that occurred in 43% of colorectal adenomas.

Hypermethylation of the 5'CpG island of the FHIT gene in clear cell renal carcinomas.

FHIT is a tumour suppressor gene which is frequently inactivated in different types of cancer. Both genetic (mutations, deletions, chromosomal rearrangements) and epigenetic (aberrant methylation of the 5'CpG island) alterations of the FHIT gene have been reported in various malignancies. Yet little is known about the mechanism of FHIT inactivation in clear cell renal carcinomas.