Analysis of promoter methylation in IGFBP3 ، TWIST1 gene for early detection of colorectal tumors in stool of patients with colorectal cancer

Abstract

Colorectal cancer is one of the most important causes of mortality in the world. Genes involved in various cellular processes, especially apoptosis and cell migration, play important roles in the process of carcinogenesis in the colon. IGFBP3 and TWIST1 are important genes that their expression and epigenetic alterations have been evaluated in several cancers. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the methylation of this gene in stool samples of colorectal cancer patients. Methods: In this study, stool samples were collected from 40 colorectal cancer patients and 40 healthy controls. After collecting the DNA of the samples, the extracts were treated by Sulfite method and the methylation of the target site was evaluated by met-HRM method. Differences in methylation levels of the two groups were evaluated by appropriate statistical tests. P value <0.05 was considered significant. Results The relative methylation rate of the studied genes in the tumor samples was lower than the healthy ones and this difference was significant in the confidence interval. Methylation changes of these genes were not associated with any of the clinicopathologic features of the patients.