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Relationship of plasma folic acid and status of DNA methylation in human gastric cancer

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Abstract

To evaluate the anti-cancer effects of folic acid at the molecular level, we determined plasma folic acid concentration by radioimmuno-assay and the degree of total genomic DNA methylation by incubating DNA with3H-S-adenosylmethionine (3H-SAM) in the presence of a methylase, and analyzed the methylation status of the c-myc and c-Ha-ras oncogenes by Southern blotting in 21 patients with advanced gastric cancer. The degree of total genomic DNA methylation of cancerous tissues was significantly lower than that of paracancerous and non-cancerous tissues; c-myc and c-Ha-ras oncogenes from cancerous (10/21, 5/10) and paracancerous (13/21, 4/10) tissues were hypomethylated. The plasma folic acid concentration in patients who showed hypomethylation was lower than that patients showing normal methylation. These findings suggest that a decrease in folic acid, and the subsequent DNA hypomethylation, may be involved in human gastric carcinogenesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Ren-Ji Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease (200001), Shanghai Second Medical University, 145 ShanDong Zhong Road, Shanghai, People's Republic of China

    Jing-Yuan Fang, Shu-Dong Xiao, Shun-Shi Zhu, Ji-Min Yuan, Dai-Kai Qiu & Shao-Ji Jiang

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  1. Jing-Yuan Fang
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  2. Shu-Dong Xiao
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  3. Shun-Shi Zhu
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  4. Ji-Min Yuan
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  6. Shao-Ji Jiang
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Fang, JY., Xiao, SD., Zhu, SS. et al. Relationship of plasma folic acid and status of DNA methylation in human gastric cancer. J Gastroenterol 32, 171–175 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02936363

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02936363

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