The expression and clinical significance of DNA methyltransferase proteins in human gastric cancer

This study investigates the varied expression of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) proteins in gastric cancer (GC) and their relationship with the biological behavior of the tissues. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of the 3 DNMTs in gastric tissues. We discovered that the positive rates of DNMT1, DNMT3a, and DNMT3b expression in GC tissues were 81.6%, 81.6%, and 68.4%, respectively, and they were significantly higher than those of both para-cancerous (39.5%, 50%, and 44.7%) and normal tissues (10.5%, 10.5%, and 7.9%). DNMT1 was well distributed in the cytoplasm and nuclei of tumor cells or glands, while DNMT3a and 3b were well distributed only in the cytoplasm, as shown by staining a dark brown color. A significant correlation between the DNMT1 and DNMT3a proteins (P < 0.01), a low correlation between DNMT3a and DNMT3b (P < 0.05), and no correlation between DNMT1 and DNMT3b (P > 0.05) were observed. DNMT1 protein expression exhibited no correlation with age, lymphnode metastasis, and also tumor differentiation, but it may have had a correlation with gender. The DNMT3 family was not associated with these factors. Therefore, DNMT overexpression is involved in gastric tumorigenesis, but there is no correlation between the DNMTs and the biological behaviors of tissues.