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World J Gastroenterol. Apr 28, 2014; 20(16): 4723-4729
Published online Apr 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i16.4723
Published online Apr 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i16.4723
MT1M and MT1G promoter methylation as biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma
Xiang-Fen Ji, Shuai Gao, Yang Yang, Jian-Jun Zhang, Department of Hepatology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China
Yu-Chen Fan, Kai Wang, Department of Hepatology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China
Yu-Chen Fan, Kai Wang, Institute of Hepatology, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Ji XF designed the study, carried out the experiments and drafted the manuscript; Fan YC revised the manuscript; Yang Y performed part of experiments; Gao S and Zhang JJ interpreted the data; Wang K revised the paper critically for important intellectual content.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81171579, No. 81201287 and No. 81371832
Correspondence to: Kai Wang, MD, PhD, Department of Hepatology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University and Institute of Hepatology, Shandong University, No. 107, Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China. wangdoc876@126.com
Telephone: +86-531-86630809 Fax: +86-531-8692754
Received: November 24, 2013
Revised: January 10, 2014
Accepted: February 17, 2014
Published online: April 28, 2014
Revised: January 10, 2014
Accepted: February 17, 2014
Published online: April 28, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: DNA methylation of tumor suppressor gene promoter regions appears to be a valuable biomarker in many tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We found that aberrant serum metallothionein 1M (MT1M) promoter methylation gave higher specificity to discriminate HCC from chronic hepatitis B and normal controls. In contrast, combined methylation of serum MT1M and metallothionein 1G promoters showed higher diagnostic sensitivity. This indicates that they may be used as potential biomarkers for noninvasive detection of HCC.