Hypomethylation of ornithine decarboxylase gene and erb-A1 oncogene in
human chronic lymphatic leukemia
V Lipsanen, P Leinonen, L Alhonen and J Janne
Department of Biochemistry, University of Helsinki, Finland.
The methylation state of CCGG sites in and around the human ornithine
decarboxylase gene, oncogenes c-myc and erb-A1, and actin genes were
determined in human malignant leucocytes from patients with acute and
chronic myeloid leukemia, chronic lymphatic leukemia, polycythemia vera,
and multiple myeloma by means of isoschizomeric restriction endonuclease
analysis. When compared with DNA from leucocytes of healthy controls, the
ornithine decarboxylase and erb-A1 genes were substantially hypomethylated
in all samples obtained from patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia.
Hypomethylation of genes, particularly growth-related sequences, might be a
crucial fact in the malignant transformation of human leucocytes. Its
relatively simple detection from blood samples may prove clinically
applicable in monitoring patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia.
Volume 72,
Issue 6,
pp. 2042-2044,
12/01/1988
Copyright © 1988 by The American Society of Hematology
