Microarchitectures of Barrett’s Esophagus Associated with DNA Methylation Status

Abstract

Aim: DNA methylation is involved in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and Barrett’s esophagus (BE). Microarchitectures of on-neoplastic BE associated with DNA methylation status were examined using magnifying narrow-band imaging (NBI) endoscopy. Patients and methods: Using biopsies from non-neoplastic BE without cancer (n = 66; N group), with EAC (n = 27; ADJ group) and EAC tissue (n = 22; T group), methylation of N33, DPYS, SLC16A12, miR124a3 and miR34bc genes were quantified. Magnifying NBI features of non-neoplastic BE were classified according to their morphologies. Results: The ADJ and T groups presented higher DNA methylation compared with the N group. Magnifying NBI endoscopic features of non-neoplastic BE also correlated with DNA methylation as an independent factor. Conclusion: Microarchitectures of BE visualized by magnifying NBI endoscopy correlated with DNA methylation.

Tweetable abstract

Microarchitectures of on-neoplastic Barrett’s esophagus were found to be associated with DNA methylation using magnifying NBI endoscopy. The result will be useful to predict DNA methylation status of Barrett’s esophagus, potentially associated with risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Keywords:

• Barrett’s esophagus
• bisulfite pyrosequencing
• DNA methylation
• esophageal adenocarcinoma
• long-segment Barrett’s esophagus
• magnifying narrow-band imaging
• short-segment Barrett’s esophagus

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/epi-2023-0214

Author contributions

T Tahara, T Shijimaya and J Yamazaki designed the study, the main conceptual ideas and the proof outline; performed experiments and analyzed data and wrote the manuscript. S Kobayashi, A Horitani, Y Matsumoto, N Nakamura, T Okazaki and Y Takahashi aided in interpreting the results and worked on the manuscript. T Tomiyama, Y Honzawa, N Fukata, T Fukui and M Naganuma supervised the project and proofing of the manuscript. All authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientists (C), grant number: 22K08089. 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 manuscript apart from those disclosed.

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

Ethical conduct of research

For the discovery cohort, informed written consent was obtained from all patients. The study was approved by the medical Ethical Committees of Fujita Health University and Kansai Medical University.

Data availability statement

The data that supports the findings of this study are available in the Supplementary Materials.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientists (C), grant number: 22K08089. 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 manuscript apart from those disclosed.