Hypermethylated Promoters of Genes UNC5D and KCNA1 as Potential Novel Diagnostic Biomarkers in Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Aim: Identification of aberrant hypermethylation in promoter regions of candidate genes to discover potential biomarkers for colorectal cancer. Materials & Methods: Genes BMP2, IRF4, KCNA1, LRRC7, NRG3, SLC27A6 and UNC5D were pre-selected in a bioinformatics study for their hypermethylation status in colorectal cancer. Methylation analysis was performed on 202 cancer tissue specimens to validate candidate genes. Results: Genes KCNA1 and UNC5D displayed methylation in 95.3 and 99.7% of The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset samples and in 96 and 98% of our experimentally tested samples, respectively. Conclusion:KCNA1 and UNC5D promoter hypermethylation holds diagnostic biomarker potential in patients with early colorectal cancer.

Keywords::

• biomarkers
• colorectal cancer
• CpG islands
• DNA methylation
• high-resolution melting analysis
• hypermethylation
• KCNA1
• UNC5D

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The study was supported by the Slovenian Research Agency (research core funding no. P3-0054 and project J3-1754). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the paper apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained National Medical Ethics Committee Republic of Slovenia approval.

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by the Slovenian Research Agency (research core funding no. P3-0054 and project J3-1754). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the paper apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.