Epigenetics are involved in the regulation of the cell cycle and expression of tumor suppressor genes in human colon cancer cells

摘要

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of DNA methylation and histone acetylation on the cell cycle progression and expression of tumor suppressor genes in human colon cancer (HCC) cell lines.METHODS: Three HCC cell lines (HT-29, SW1116 and Colo-320) were treated with the DNA methylation inhibitor, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) or/ and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, tricho-statin A (TSA) or sodium butyrate. The methylation status of the promoter of the p16~INK4A gene was assayed by methylation-specific PCR (MSP). The expression of p16~INK4A and p21~WAF1 was analyzed by RT-PCR. The cell cycle distribution was determined by flow cytometry.