PURPOSE

We investigated the feasibility of detecting aberrant DNA methylation of some novel and known genes in the serum of lung cancer patients.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

To determine the analytical sensitivity, we examined the tumor and the matched serum DNA for aberrant methylation of fifteen gene promoters from 10 patients with primary lung tumors by using Quantitative methylation specific PCR. We then tested this 15 gene set to identify the more useful DNA methylation changes in the serum of a limited number of lung cancer patients and controls. In an independent set, we tested the six most promising genes (APC, CDH1, MGMT, DCC, RASSF1A and AIM) for further elucidation of the diagnostic application of this panel of markers.

RESULTS

Promoter hypermethylation of at least one of the genes studied was detected in all 10 lung primary tumors. In majority of cases, aberrant methylation in serum DNA was accompanied by methylation in the matched tumor samples. In the independent set, using a single gene that had 100% specificity (DCC), 35.5% (95% CI 25%, 47%) of the 76 lung cancer patients were correctly identified. For patients without methylated DCC, addition of a logistic regression score that was based on the five remaining genes improved sensitivity from 35.5% to 75% (95% CI: 64%, 84%) but decreased the specificity from 100% to 73% (95% CI:54%, 88%).

CONCLUSION

This approach needs to be evaluated in a larger test set to determine the role of this gene set in early detection and surveillance of lung cancer.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a rare malignancy with unique genetic, viral and environmental characteristic that distinguishes it from other head and neck carcinomas. The clinical management of NPC remains challenging largely due to the lack of early detection strategies for this tumor. In the present study we have sought to identify novel genes involved in the pathogenesis of NPC that might provide insight into this tumor's biology and could potentially be used as biomarkers. To identify these genes, we studied the epigenetics of NPC by characterizing a panel of methylation markers. Eighteen genes were evaluated by quantitative methylation-specific PCR in cell lines as well as in tissue samples including 50 NPC tumors and 28 benign nasopharyngeal biopsies. Significance was evaluated using Fisher's exact test and quantitative values were optimized using cut off values derived from receiver-operator characteristic curves. The methylation status of AIM1, APC, CALCA, DCC, DLEC, DLC1, ESR, FHIT, KIF1A, and PGP9.5 was significantly associated with NPC compared to controls. The sensitivity of the individual genes ranged from 26 to 66% and the specificity was above 92% for all genes except FHIT. The combination of PGP9.5, KIF1A, and DLEC had a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 92%. Ectopic expression of DCC and DLC1 lead to decrease in colony formation and invasion properties. Our results indicate that methylation of novel biomarkers in NPC could be used to enhance early detection approaches. Additionally, our functional studies reveal previously unknown tumor suppressor roles in NPC.

Strategies to address resistance to platin drugs are greatly needed in human epithelial cancers (e.g. ovarian, head/neck and lung) where platins are used widely and resistance occurs commonly. We found that upon ΔNp63α overexpression, AKT1 and phospho-AKT1 levels are up regulated in cancer cells. Investigations using gel-shift, chromatin immunoprecipitation and functional reporter assays implicated ΔNp63α in positive regulation of AKT1 transcription. Importantly, we found that ΔNp63α, AKT1 and phospho-AKT levels are greater in 2008CI3 CDDP-resistant ovarian cancer cells than in 2008 CDDP-sensitive cells. siRNA-mediated knockdown of ΔNp63α expression dramatically decreased AKT1 expression, whereas knockdown of either ΔNp63α or AKT1 decreased cell proliferation and increased death of ovarian and head/neck cancer cells. Conversely, enforced expression of ΔNp63α increased cancer cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis. Together, our findings define a novel ΔNp63α-dependent regulatory mechanism for AKT1 expression and its role in chemotherapeutic resistance of ovarian and head/neck cancer cells.

Background

Valosin-containing protein (VCP)/p97 is an AAA ATPase molecular chaperone that regulates vital cellular functions and protein-processing. A recent study indicated that VCP expression levels are correlated with prognosis and progression of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). We not only verified these findings but also identified the specific role of VCP in NSCLC pathogenesis and progression.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Our results show that VCP is significantly overexpressed in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) as compared to normal tissues and cell lines (p<0.001). Moreover, we observed the corresponding accumulation of ubiquitinated-proteins in NSCLC cell lines and tissues as compared to the normal controls. VCP inhibition by si/shRNA or small-molecule (Eeyarestatin I, EerI) significantly (p<0.05, p<0.00007) suppressed H1299 proliferation and migration but induced (p<0.00001) apoptosis. Cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry verified this data and shows that VCP inhibition significantly (p<0.001, p<0.003) induced cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phases. We also found that VCP directly regulates p53 and NFκB protein levels as a potential mechanism to control tumor cell proliferation and progression. Finally, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of VCP inhibition and observed significantly reduced NSCLC tumor growth in both in vitro and xenograft murine (athymic-nude) models after EerI treatment (p<0.05).

Conclusions/Significance

Thus, targeting VCP in NSCLC may provide a novel strategy to restore p53 and NFκB levels and ameliorate the growth and tumorigenicity, leading to improved clinical outcomes.

Prognosis for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is poor. The potential value of modulating EGFR for treatment is reflected by the recent approval of specific drugs that inhibit its activity. Mutations in EGFR were reported in lung cancer and generated interest, once they enable the identification of lung cancers likely to respond to various targeted small molecules.

We tested 3 key genetic and epigenetic alterations (EGFR, RASSF1A, and BRAF) of this pathway on a series of primary NSCLC [Total 111; adenocarcinoma 49, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) 48 and others 14]. The mutational status of KRAS (and p53) was known for these samples. The purpose of this study was to define the pattern of erbB pathway alterations in NSCLC and to test for associations with clinical parameters.

Five EGFR mutations were identified: 3 in adenocarcinoma (6 %), 1 in SCC (2%) and 1 in adenocarcinoma with bronchoalveolar component tumor (7%). EGFR mutations included 3 in-frame deletions in exon 19 and 2 point mutations in exon 21. Promoter methylation of RASSF1A was detected in 25 of 45 adenocarcinomas and 18 of 46 SCC. Mutations of EGFR, BRAF and KRAS in adenocarcinoma were mutually exclusive and inversely correlated with RASSF1A methylation (p = −0.394; p=0.007). Overall, genetic and/or epigenetic alterations of erbB pathway genes were detected in 80% (39/49) of adenocarcinomas.

Nearly half of primary adenocarcinoma harbor molecular alterations of the erbB pathway. Careful characterization of these alterations and response to anti-EGFR therapies is warranted to determine better and accurate determinants of clinical response.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 is present in up to 60% of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and confers a favorable prognosis in terms of recurrence and mortality. Previous reports demonstrated that HPV-16 DNA can be detected in the initial salivary rinses from these patients. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of post-treatment HPV DNA shed from the oral mucosa as a prognostic marker for persistent/recurrent head and neck cancer. Fresh tumor samples and pre- and post-treatment salivary rinses were collected from 59 patients with HNSCC. HPV-16 E6 and E7 DNA copy number in these samples were quantified by real time PCR. Twenty of 59 patients (33.9%) were HPV-16 positive in their tumors before treatment. Four of 20 HPV tumor positive patients ultimately developed recurrence, and 2 of these 4 patients were HPV-16 positive in surveillance salivary rinses (sensitivity = 50%). Of the 39 (66.1%) HPV-16 negative patients on initial clinical presentation and the 16 HPV-16 positive patients who did not recur, none were HPV-16 positive in salivary rinses after treatment (specificity = 100%). HPV-16 presence in follow-up salivary rinses preceded clinical detection of disease recurrence by an average of 3.5 months. Patients with presence of HPV-16 DNA in surveillance salivary rinses are at significant risk for recurrence. Quantitative measurement of salivary HPV-16 DNA has promise for surveillance and early detection of recurrence.

MicroRNAs (mirs) are small non-coding RNA molecules (~22 nucleotides) that regulate post-transcriptional gene expression. Currently, there has not been a comprehensive study of their role in primary HNSCC. To determine the role of mirs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), we screened for altered microRNA expression in HNSCC primary tissue and cell lines. We then further tested the functional impact of alterations of specific mirs.

An initial screening of 4 primary HNSCC, 4 normal mucosal controls and 4 HNSCC cell lines were analyzed for mature microRNA expression by microarray. Significance was determined using Significance Analysis of Microarrays (SAM). Nine microRNAs were found by SAM to be up-regulated or down-regulated in tumor tissue including mir-21,let-7,18,29c,142-3p,155,146b(over-expressed) and 494(under-expressed). Mir-21 was validated by qRT-PCR.

Functional validation by growth assays was performed, further validating mir-21. Transfection of mir-21 into JHU-011 and JHU-012 cell lines showed a 39% increase in cell growth at 72 hrs relative to controls (p<.05). Transfection of the inhibitor into JHU-O12 cell lines showed a 92% decrease in cell growth relative to controls at 72hrs (p<.05). In addition, flow cytometry analysis of JHU-012 cells 48 hrs after mir-21 inhibitor transfection showed a statistically significantly increase in cytochrome c release and increased apoptosis.

These differentially expressed microRNAs may be of interest as potential novel oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in HNSCC. Mir-21 is a putative oncogenic microRNA in head and neck cancer.

DNA methylation has a role in mediating epigenetic silencing of CpG island genes in cancer and other diseases. Identification of all gene promoters methylated in cancer cells “the cancer methylome” would greatly advance our understanding of gene regulatory networks in tumorigenesis. We previously described a new method of identifying methylated tumor suppressor genes based on pharmacologic unmasking of the promoter region and detection of re-expression on microarray analysis. In this study, we modified and greatly improved the selection of candidates based on new promoter structure algorithm and microarray data generated from 20 cancer cell lines of 5 major cancer types. We identified a set of 200 candidate genes that cluster throughout the genome of which 25 were previously reported as harboring cancer-specific promoter methylation. The remaining 175 genes were tested for promoter methylation by bisulfite sequencing or methylation-specific PCR (MSP). Eighty-two of 175 (47%) genes were found to be methylated in cell lines, and 53 of these 82 genes (65%) were methylated in primary tumor tissues. From these 53 genes, cancer-specific methylation was identified in 28 genes (28 of 53; 53%). Furthermore, we tested 8 of the 28 newly identified cancer-specific methylated genes with quantitative MSP in a panel of 300 primary tumors representing 13 types of cancer. We found cancer-specific methylation of at least one gene with high frequency in all cancer types. Identification of a large number of genes with cancer-specific methylation provides new targets for diagnostic and therapeutic intervention, and opens fertile avenues for basic research in tumor biology.

NKX3.1 is a prostatic tumor suppressor gene located on chromosome 8p. Although most studies have shown that staining for NKX3.1 protein is positive in the majority of primary prostatic adenocarcinomas, it has been shown to be downregulated in many high-grade prostate cancers, and completely lost in the majority of metastatic prostate cancers (eg, in 65% to 78% of lesions). A recent study showed that NKX3.1 staining with a novel antibody was highly sensitive and specific for high-grade prostatic adenocarcinoma when compared with high-grade urothelial carcinoma. This raised the question that this antibody may perform better than earlier used antibodies in metastatic prostate tumors. However, the sensitivity and specificity for prostate carcinomas for this antibody in metastatic lesions was not determined. Although prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic-specific acid phosphatase (PSAP) are excellent tissue markers of prostate cancer, at times they may be expressed at low levels, focally, or not at all in poorly differentiated primary and metastatic prostatic adenocarcinomas. The purpose of this study was to determine the performance of NKX3.1 as a marker of metastatic adenocarcinoma of prostatic origin. Immunohistochemical staining against NKX3.1, PSA, and PSAP was carried out on a tissue microarray (TMA) (0.6-mm tissue cores) of hormone naïve metastatic prostate adenocarcinoma specimens from lymph nodes, bone, and soft tissue. To determine the specificity of NKX3.1 for prostatic adenocarcinoma, we used TMAs that contained cancers from various sites including the urinary bladder, breast, colon, salivary gland, stomach, pancreas, thyroid, and central nervous system, and standard paraffin sections of cancers from other sites including the adrenal cortex, kidney, liver, lung, and testis. Overall 349 nonprostatic tumors were evaluated. Any nuclear staining for NKX3.1 was considered positive and the percentage of cells with nuclear staining and their mean intensity level were assessed visually. Sensitivity was calculated by considering a case positive if any TMA core was positive. The sensitivity for identifying metastatic prostatic adenocarcinomas overall was 98.6% (68/69 cases positive) for NKX3.1, 94.2% (65/69 cores positive) for PSA, and 98.6% (68/69 cores positive) for PSAP. The specificity of NKX3.1 was 99.7% (1/349 nonprostatic tumors positive). The sole positive nonprostatic cancer case was an invasive lobular carcinoma of the breast. NKX3.1 seems to be a highly sensitive and specific tissue marker of metastatic prostatic adenocarcinoma. In the appropriate clinical setting, the addition of IHC staining for NKX3.1, along with other prostate-restricted markers, may prove to be a valuable adjunct to definitively determine prostatic origin in poorly differentiated metastatic carcinomas.

Background

Many risk factors have been associated with cancer, such as age, family history, race, smoking, high-fat diet, and poor nutrition. It is important to reveal the molecular changes related to risk factors that could facilitate early detection, prevention, and overall control of cancer.

Methods

We selected six cancer-specific methylated genes that have previously been reported in primary tumors and have also been detected in different bodily fluids of cancer patients. Here, we used quantitative fluorogenic real-time methylation-specific PCR in plasma DNA samples for the detection of methylation changes from an asymptomatic population who do not have any known cancer.

Results

The promoter methylation frequencies of the studied genes were as follows: APC (7%), CCND2 (22%), GSTP1 (2%), MGMT (9%), RARβ2 (29%), and P16 (3%). Promoter methylation of at least one of the genes analyzed was observed in ~46% (72 of 157) of the samples by binary dichotomization. Promoter hypermethylation of at least two genes was detected in 17% (26 of 157) of the samples. RARβ2 methylation was observed in 45% of subjects who had a high-fat diet in contrast with those who had a low-fat diet (23%; P = 0.007).

Discussion

Our findings may help to elucidate early methylation changes that may lead to cancer development. These methylation changes could be due to exposure to risk factors and may be useful for cancer prevention measures such as changes in lifestyle. Longitudinal follow-up of a high-risk population is needed to understand the association of methylation of candidate genes in cancer development.

We evaluated promoter hypermethylation of a panel of tumor suppressor genes as a means to detect epigenetic alterations in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) of Indian-origin and compare with North-American head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). Quantitative-methylation-specific PCR was used to investigate the promoter methylation status of DCC, EDNRB, p16INK4a and KIF1A in 92 OSCC, and compared to 48 paired normal tissues and 30 saliva and sera samples from healthy control subjects. Aberrant methylation of at-least one of these genes was detected in 74/92 (80.4%) OSCC; 72.8% at EDNRB, 71.7% at KIF1A, 47.8% at p16INK4a and 58.7% at DCC; and in 5 of 48 (10.4%) normal oral tissues. None of the saliva and sera samples from controls exhibited DNA methylation in these four target genes. Thirty-two of 72 node positive cases harbored p16INK4a and DCC hypermethylation (p = 0.005). Thus, promoter hypermethylation in genes analyzed herein is a common event in Indian OSCC and may represent promising markers for the molecular staging of OSCC patients. We found higher frequency of p16INK4a methylation (47.8%) in this Indian cohort in comparison with a North-American cohort (37.5%). In conclusion, aberrant methylation of EDNRB, KIF1A, DCC and p16INK4a genes is a common event in Indian OSCC, suggesting that epigenetic alterations of these genes warrant validation in larger studies for their potential use as biomarkers.

Basal-like carcinomas (BLCs) of the breast share discriminatory morphologic features with poorly differentiated high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV)-related squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx, penis, and vulva. Because HPV E7 protein inactivates the retinoblastoma (Rb) protein, diffuse p16 expression is a surrogate marker for these high-risk HPV-related carcinomas. HPV E6 protein also inactivates p53, further compromising the G1-S cell cycle checkpoint. The Rb/p16/p53 immunohistochemical profile of BLC of the breast has not been well characterized. Tissue microarrays containing 71 invasive ductal carcinomas (IDCs) of the breast were immunolabeled for p16, Rb, p53, and Ki-67. The cases included 4 distinct groups of IDCs having surrogate immunohistochemical profiles corresponding to categories defined by gene expression profiling (17 luminal A, 7 luminal B, 14 HER-2+, and 21 BLC), along with 12 unclassifiable triple negative carcinomas (UTNCs). Twenty-five of the 71 IDC were Rb negative/p16 diffuse positive (Rb −/p16+). These included 15 of 21 BLC and 9 of 12 UTNC, but only 1 of 14 HER-2 positive cases and none of the 17 luminal A or 7 luminal B cases (P < 0.01, BLC or UTNC vs. others). Six of the Rb − /p16+ IDC also had a significant ductal carcinoma in situ component. The ductal carcinoma in situ in 4 of these 6 cases showed the same Rb − /p16+ phenotype as the associated IDC. BLC and UTNC had the highest Ki-67 indices of the 5 groups, even when matched for grade. The Rb − /p16+ phenotype and the Rb − /p16+/p53 overexpressing phenotype correlated with increased proliferation within the BLC group. In conclusion, BLC and UTNC, but not HER-2, luminal A, or luminal B carcinomas, frequently demonstrate an Rb − /p16+ phenotype, similar to the HPV-related squamous cell carcinomas that BLC resemble morphologically. This subset may represent a more homogenous group than BLC as defined currently.

Purpose

This study aimed to test the hypothesis that elevated expression of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins predicts a poor therapeutic response of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) to concurrent platinum-based chemoradiation therapy.

Experimental Design

Levels of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, and Bcl-w were determined and correlated with resistance to cisplatin in a large panel of cell lines derived from squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL expression and disease-free survival following chemoradiation therapy in a uniformly treated cohort of patients with OPSCC.

Results

In HNSCC cell lines, high endogenous Bcl-2 expression was associated with increased cisplatin resistance, and experimental overexpression of Bcl-2 promoted cisplatin resistance. In patients, tumors positive for Bcl-2 before treatment had greater risk of treatment failure (hazard ratio, 5.99; 95% confidence interval, 1.73−20.8; P = 0.0014). In contrast, endogenous Bcl-XL showed no correlation either with cisplatin sensitivity in the cell line panel in vitro, or with risk of recurrence in vivo (hazard ratio, 1.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.39 − 4.19; P = 0.68). Associations between Bcl-2 expression and other clinical characteristics did not account for the predictive value of Bcl-2.

Conclusions

Immunohistochemical assessment of Bcl-2 in pretreatment biopsy specimens can predict response of advanced OPSCC to concurrent platinum-based chemoradiation. As treatments targeting Bcl-2 and its family members become available, this immunohistochemical assessment could help personalize therapy by identifying a subpopulation of patients with a poor prognosis who might benefit from such treatments.

Background

Cancer/testis antigens (CTAs) were first discovered as immunogenic targets normally expressed in germline cells, but differentially expressed in a variety of human cancers. In this study, we used an integrative epigenetic screening approach to identify coordinately expressed genes in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose transcription is driven by promoter demethylation.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Our screening approach found 290 significant genes from the over 47,000 transcripts incorporated in the Affymetrix Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 expression array. Of the top 55 candidates, 10 showed both differential overexpression and promoter region hypomethylation in NSCLC. Surprisingly, 6 of the 10 genes discovered by this approach were CTAs. Using a separate cohort of primary tumor and normal tissue, we validated NSCLC promoter hypomethylation and increased expression by quantitative RT-PCR for all 10 genes. We noted significant, coordinated coexpression of multiple target genes, as well as coordinated promoter demethylation, in a large set of individual tumors that was associated with the SCC subtype of NSCLC. In addition, we identified 2 novel target genes that exhibited growth-promoting effects in multiple cell lines.

Conclusions/Significance

Coordinated promoter demethylation in NSCLC is associated with aberrant expression of CTAs and potential, novel candidate protooncogenes that can be identified using integrative discovery techniques. These findings have significant implications for discovery of novel CTAs and CT antigen directed immunotherapy.

Purpose

The aims of our study were to elucidate the role of methylation of a large panel of genes during multistage pathogenesis of bladder cancer and to correlate our findings with patient age and other clinicopathologic features.

Experimental Design

We studied the methylation status of 21 genes by quantitative methylation-specific PCR in an evaluation set of 25 tumor and 5 normal samples. Based on methylation frequency in tumors and normals in gene evaluation set, we selected 7 candidate genes and tested an independent set of 93 tumors and 26 normals. The presence or absence of methylation was evaluated for an association with cancer using cross-tabulations and χ2 or Fisher’s exact tests as appropriate. All statistical tests were two-sided.

Results

Most primary tumors (89 of 93, 96%) had methylation of one or more genes of independent set; 53 (57%) CCNA1, 29 (31%) MINT1, 36 (39%) CRBP, 53 (57%) CCND2, 66 (71%) PGP9.5, 60 (65%) CALCA, and 78 (84%) AIM1. Normal uroepithelium samples from 26 controls revealed no methylation of the CCNA1 and MINT1 genes, whereas methylation of CRBP, CCND2, PGP9.5, and CALCA was detected at low levels. All the 7 genes in independent set were tightly correlated with each other and 3 of these genes showed increased methylation frequencies in bladder cancer with increasing age. PGP9.5 and AIM1 methylation correlated with primary tumor invasion.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that the methylation profile of novel genes in bladder cancers correlates with clinicopathologic features of poor prognosis and is an age-related phenomenon.

Purpose

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-3 (TIMP-3) is one of four members of a family of proteins that were originally classified according to their ability to inhibit matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). We analyzed TIMP-3 methylation in 175 urine sediment DNA samples from bladder cancer patients with well characterized clinicopathological parameters including patient outcome.

Materials and methods

We examined urine sediment DNA for aberrant methylation of 9 genes including TIMP-3 by quantitative fluorogenic real-time PCR.

Results

Using an optimal cutoff value by Taqman quantitation, we found that the risk of death was statistically significantly higher in patients with higher TIMP-3 and ARF methylation (hazard ratio [HR] =1.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.12 to 3.27; p= 0.01 and HR=1.66, 95% CI=1.00 to 2.76; p=0.05 respectively) than in patients without/lower TIMP3 and ARF methylation in urine. A significant correlation was also seen between risk of death and stage 3 tumor (HR=2.73, 95% CI=1.58 to 4.72; p=0.003 and the presence of metastasis (HR=3.32, 95% CI=1.98 to 5.57; p=0.0001). Multivariate analysis subsequently revealed that TIMP-3 methylation was an independent prognostic factor for bladder cancer survival with stage and metastasis (p=0.001 and 0.02 respectively).

Conclusion

These results suggest that TIMP-3 promoter methylation could be a clinically applicable marker for bladder cancer progression.

Background

Epigenetic alterations have been implicated in the pathogenesis of solid tumors, however, proto-oncogenes activated by promoter demethylation have been sporadically reported. We used an integrative method to analyze expression in primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and pharmacologically demethylated cell lines to identify aberrantly demethylated and expressed candidate proto-oncogenes and cancer testes antigens in HNSCC.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We noted coordinated promoter demethylation and simultaneous transcriptional upregulation of proto-oncogene candidates with promoter homology, and phylogenetic footprinting of these promoters demonstrated potential recognition sites for the transcription factor BORIS. Aberrant BORIS expression correlated with upregulation of candidate proto-oncogenes in multiple human malignancies including primary non-small cell lung cancers and HNSCC, induced coordinated proto-oncogene specific promoter demethylation and expression in non-tumorigenic cells, and transformed NIH3T3 cells.

Conclusions/Significance

Coordinated, epigenetic unmasking of multiple genes with growth promoting activity occurs in aerodigestive cancers, and BORIS is implicated in the coordinated promoter demethylation and reactivation of epigenetically silenced genes in human cancers.

Summary

Resistance to camptothecin (CPT), a topoisomerase I (Top1) inhibitor, is frequently encountered in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and CPT resistance is linked with TDP1, an enzyme capable of cleaving the covalent linkage between stabilized Top1 with DNA. The aim of this study is to evaluate the in vivo expression level of TDP1, as well as parallel repair pathway components XPF and MUS81, in primary NSCLC. We collected thirty un-matched and four NSCLC samples matched with normal lung tissue and eight samples of non-neoplastic lung tissue from patients with and without lung cancer, and determined the protein expression of these three genes using Western blot and TDP1 activity by a specific enzymatic assay. Both TDP1 and XPF were overexpressed in over 50% of NSCLC tissues, with wide ranges of expression levels. MUS81 did not exhibit alteration in expression. Overexpression of TDP1 and XPF is common in NSCLC, and is therefore of interest as a possible contributor to drug resistance in NSCLC.