Aberrant DNA Methylation of Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Gene with High-Risk Human Papillomavirus in Vietnamese Patients

Abstract

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Vietnamese women. Virtually, cervical cancer is associated with infection of Human papilloma virus (HPV). In addition, inactivation of tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) due to aberrant hypermethylation, an epigenetic mechanism, has been observed in cervical cancer development. Screening for early detection of cervical cancer is gaining interest in Vietnam. In this current study, we analyzed the aberrant methylation status of APC (Adenomatous polyposis coli) gene, whose product has an important role in cell cycle control and maintenance of genomic stability, as a potential biomarker for cervical cancer in Vietnamese population. The liquid-based Pap test samples which were used to identify between HPV-infected, low-risk HPV infected, and non-HPV-infected were enrolled and analyzed by MSP (Methylation specific PCR). Results showed that the hypermethylation of APC reached to 75, 12.5 and 30% in high-risk HPV genotype infected group, low-risk HPV genotype infected group, and non-HPV genotype infection, respectively. Especially, the characteristic of high-risk HPV infection was also associated with the hypermethylation of the candidate gene (p < 0.05). Moreover, the odds ratio and relative risk were found in the high value, counting for 10.5 (95%CI, 2.3–47.2) and 3.37 (95%CI, 1.3–8.3), respectively. In conclusion, these outcomes suggested that the aberrant hypermethylation of APC gene, which was accessed in non-invasive samples, led to a potential biomarker and application in early prognosis and diagnosis to cervical cancer in Vietnamese population.