Polymorphisms of the GSTM1, GSTP1, MPO, XRCC1, and NQO1 genes in Chinese patients with non-small cell lung cancers: relationship with aberrant promoter methylation of the CDKN2A and RARB genes.

An association between functional polymorphisms of genes resulting in decreased detoxification of carcinogens or DNA repair and aberrant promoter methylation is an attractive hypothesis in lung carcinogenesis. The genotypes at polymorphic sites of the glutathione S-transferase (GST) M1 (null/wildtype) and P1 (nucleotide 2627 A/G), myeloperoxidase (MPO) (nucleotide -463 G/A), X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) (nucleotides 26304 C/T; 28152 G/A), and NADPH quinine oxidoreductase (NQO1) (nucleotide 609 C/T) genes in 75 Chinese patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were characterized with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results were correlated with aberrant methylation of the CDKN2A (alias p16(INK4A)), retinoic acid receptor beta (RARB), methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), and death-associated-protein (DAP) kinase genes in the tumors. In comparison with an age-matched control, none of the polymorphisms were associated with increased lung cancer risks. In male patients, however, the MPO -463 GG homozygous state was associated with CDKN2A (alias p16(INK4A)) methylation (odds ratio OR=3.63, 95% confidence interval CI=1.26-10.51), and the XRCC1 26304 T allele in the heterozygous/homozygous state was associated with methylation of CDKN2A (OR=6.13, 95% CI=1.55-24.16) and RARB (OR=7.67, 95% CI=1.62-36.18). In female patients, the GSTP1 G allele in the heterozygous/homozygous state was associated with RARB methylation (OR=18.0, 95% CI=0.76-427.29). These results showed that functional deficiencies in metabolic pathways that protect cells from carcinogen induced DNA damage might be linked to aberrant promoter methylation of the CDKN2A and RARB genes during lung carcinogenesis.

Aberrant promoter methylation in Chinese patients with non-small cell lung cancer: patterns in primary tumors and potential diagnostic application in bronchoalevolar lavage.

This study was aimed at defining patterns of aberrant gene methylation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Chinese patients and its use in detecting cancer cells in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). The methylation-specific PCR (MSP) was used to study methylation of the p16, retinoic acid receptor-beta (RARbeta), death-associated protein (DAP) kinase, and O(6)-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) genes in 75 NSCLCs [44 adenocarcinomas and 31 squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs)] and 68 BALs from suspected lung cancers. More females had adenocarcinoma than SCC (11 of 44 versus 2 of 31, P = 0.04). Aberrant methylation in at least one gene was found in 63 of 75 (84%) NSCLCs. p16, RARbeta, DAP kinase, and MGMT methylation was similar in adenocarcinoma and SCC. However, females with NSCLC showed more frequent p16 methylation than males (12 of 13 versus 36 of 62, P = 0.02), because of more frequent p16 methylation in female adenocarcinomas (10 of 11 versus 17 of 33, P = 0.02). This sexual difference was not observed in RARbeta, DAP kinase, and MGMT. At 92%, the frequency of p16 methylation in Chinese female NSCLC is one of the highest known. For BAL, MSP and cytological analysis showed concordant and discordant results in 25 of 68 and 43 of 68 samples. Of 41 MSP+/cytology- cases, 35 were eventually shown to have malignant lung lesions, 4 were at high risk but had no evidence of lung cancer, and 2 were lost to follow-up. There were two MSP-/cytology+ cases. Frequent gene methylations were seen in Chinese NSCLC patients. More frequent p16 methylation was seen in female patients. MSP is a useful molecular adjunct for cancer cell detection in BAL samples.