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Research Paper

Global DNA Hypomethylation in Liver Cancer Cases and Controls: A Phase I Preclinical Biomarker Development Study

Rafael Guerrero-Preston, Regina M. Santella, Adolfo Blanco, Manisha Desai, Maria Berdasco and Mario Fraga

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Background: Global genomic DNA hypomethylation is a feature of genomic DNA derived from solid and hematologic tumors in animal models and human carcinogenesis. Global genomic DNA hypomethylation may be the earliest epigenetic change from a normal to a pre-malignant cell. Objectives: To test if global hypomethylation is a good marker for early detection of cancer we used a novel quantification method of 2’-deoxynucleosides to evaluate DNA methylation in liver cancer cases and controls. Methods: Frozen tissue from liver cancer patients and controls were obtained from the Cooperative Human Tissue Network. DNA was extracted using standard methods. Genomic DNA samples were boiled and treated with nuclease P1 and alkaline phosphatase. Global genomic DNA methylation patterns were obtained using HPLC for fraction separation and mass spectrometry for quantification. A two-sample t test was performed using Welch’s approximation for samples with unequal variances. A Wilcoxon rank sum test was also performed. Results: A global genomic DNA methylation index measuring methylated cytidine relative to global cytidine in the genome was significantly lower (p-value = 0.001) for all cases, mean = 2.43 (95% CI, 2.08, 2.78), when compared to controls, mean = 3.55 (95% CI, 3.16, 3.93). Discussion: A correlation between global genomic DNA methylation patterns and type of liver tissue was observed. These results add to the accumulating body of evidence suggesting that global DNA hypomethylation may be a useful biomarker to distinguish between liver cancer cases and controls.

Authors

Rafael Guerrero-Preston

Columbia University; University of Puerto Rico School of Public Health

Regina M. Santella

Columbia University

Adolfo Blanco

Hospital Gregorio Marañón

Manisha Desai

Columbia University

Maria Berdasco

Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory, Spanish National Cancer Centre, Madrid, Spain

Mario Fraga

6Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO)

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