DNA Methylation at the RARβ Promoter: A Potential Biomarker for Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for women worldwide. Besides human papilloma virus (HPV) infections which are main cause of cervical cancer global, the disruptions of the genetic material such as the epigenetics including DNA methylation are also demonstrated to be in related to cervical cancer. Recent studies indicated that DNA methylation at promoter region in RARβ gene related to the formation and progression in human cervical cancer. The RARβ gene is a member of the tumor repressor gene family, located at 3p24 region. The function is thought that RARβ protein limited the proliferation of cervical tumor. In an attempt to establish early molecular diagnostic biomarker for cervical cancer, at first, we performed a systematic evaluation about the methylation frequencies of RARβ. Subsequently, 36 studies were evaluated for the methylation status for RARβ by Methylation Specific PCR (MSP) assay. As the results, we correctly confirmed that the methylation frequencies as 77% on CpG of RARβ promoter. Experimentally, we concluded that methylation levels associated with HPV genotype infections. Therefore, methylated RARβ could be a potential biomarker for cervical cancer.