Analysis of very early cancer-related methylation abnomalities

引发癌症的因素仍然是未知的。然而，越来越多的证据表明，癌前细胞中的DNA被修饰，导致称为肿瘤抑制基因的重要基因的表达改变。通常DNA会被删除或突变，但它也可以通过一种称为DNA甲基化的过程发生化学变化。我们已经发现，一个重要的肿瘤抑制基因称为p16是失活和化学甲基化的乳腺上皮细胞的阶段时，细胞改变为癌前细胞。这项资助旨在发现在早期癌前阶段是什么触发了p16基因的沉默和甲基化。我们还计划确定其他基因甲基化和经历失活的癌前乳腺细胞。这些结果将对理解使乳腺细胞易患癌症的分子机制产生影响，并可能导致对新的预防和治疗策略的见解。

The factors that are involved in triggering cancer are still unknown. Increasing evidence however indicates that the DNA in the pre-cancer cell becomes modified leading to altered expression of important genes called tumour suppressor genes. Often the DNA is deleted or mutated but it can also become chemically changed by a process called DNA methylation. We have found that an important tumour suppressor gene called p16 is inactivated and chemically methylated in breast epithelial cells at the stage when the cell changes to a pre-cancer cell. This grant is aimed at finding what triggers the silencing and methylation of the p16 gene in this early pre-cancer stage. We also plan to identify other genes are methylated and undergo inactivation the pre-cancer breast cells. These results will have an impact on understanding the molecular mechanism that makes a breast cell susceptible to cancer and may lead to insights into new prevention and treatment strategies.