Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

Background:Promoter aberrant hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes is present in early stages of the carcinogenesis process and it could be used as biomarker for early diagnosis. In a previous study, we constructed methylation microarrays, finding promoter aberrant hypermethylation of ZAR1 and SFRP4 genes in cervical cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate ZAR1 and SFRP4 promoter methylation as biomarkers for detection of cervical lesions in cytobrush, urine and blood samples. Material and Methods: Methylation levels was measured by quantitative methylation specific PCR (qMSP) in 171 cytobrush, urine and blood samples with different histological diagnoses: 60 normal, 80 preneoplastics lesions and 31 squamous cervical cancers (SCC) Results: In cytobrush samples, methylation levels of ZAR1 and SFRP4 was higher in SCC than normal epithelia (p<0.001) and preneoplastics lesions (p<0.01). ROC curves showed an area under curve (AUC) of 0.83 and 0.75, a sensibility of 77.4% and 71% and a specificity of 80% and 65% for ZAR1 and SFRP4, respectively. In urine samples SFRP4 showed a higher methylation level in SCC than normal epithelia and preneoplastics lesions (P<0.001), showing a high specificity (100%), but low sensibility (32.26%). ZAR methylation levels did not shown significant differences between groups. In blood samples not difference were observed between the groups. Conclusions: qMSP of ZAR1 and SFRP4 could be used as potential biomarkers for detection of CC using cytobrush samples. In urine samples, SFRP4 cannot be used as single biomarker for CC detection, but is not discarded its use in combination with other genes.

Biography

Priscilla Brebi has completed her PhD at the age of 26 years from Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile, and postdoctoral studies from the same entity. She was a trainee at the Head and Neck Cancer Research Division in Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA. She is the director of the Molecular Pathology Laboratory, Universidad de La Frontera, Chile. She has published more than 25 papers in reputed journals and participates in several research projects (FONDECYT, FONDEF, INNOVA-Chile y DIUFRO). She is a researcher in areas of biology and molecular pathology, Human papillomavirus and biomarkers in cancer