Search for DNA Methylation Biomarkers in the Circulating DNA of Prostate and Colorectal Cancer
Year: 2012
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Early diagnosis represents an effective way to improve patient prognosis in cancer. New opportunities for cancer diagnosis and screening may arise from identification of cancer-specific epigenetic alterations in the cell-free circulating DNA (cirDNA). This study investigated biomarkers at the level of DNA methylation in the plasma cirDNA of individuals affected with prostate cancer or colorectal cancer. A methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme-based method was used to enrich methylated DNA fractions, which were interrogated on CpG island and human genome tiling microarrays. A number of genes and non-coding loci exhibited differential methylation between prostate cancer patients and controls. The candidate loci identified from these microarray experiments underwent verification by bisulfite modification coupled with pyrosequencing. Our results suggest that microarray-based studies of DNA methylation in the cirDNA can be a promising avenue for the identification of epigenetic biomarkers in cancer.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Mina Park
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2624677839