Lactoferrin CpG Island Hypermethylation and Decoupling of mRNA and Protein Expression in the Early Stages of Prostate Carcinogenesis

Lactoferrin (LTF) is an iron binding protein canonically known for its innate and adaptive immune functions. LTF may also act as a tumor suppressor with anti-proliferative action. LTF is inactivated genetically or epigenetically in various cancers, and a CpG island spanning the transcriptional start site of LTF is hypermethylated in prostate cancer cell lines. We therefore hypothesized that LTF expression is silenced via CpG island hypermethylation in the early stages of prostate tumorigenesis. Targeted methylation analysis was performed using a combination of methylated-DNA precipitation and methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes and laser capture microdissection followed by bisulfite sequencing on DNA isolated from prostate tissue samples including both primary and metastatic disease.
Source: American Journal of Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Source Type: research