The epigenetic changes of tumor suppressor genes are now recognized as an alternative mechanism contributing to the development of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The expression of DNA-damage-inducible transcript 3 (DDIT3) gene has been found down-regulated in myeloid malignancies including MDS. In this study, we performed methylation-specific PCR (MSP) to investigate the methylation status of the CpG island of DDIT3 promoter region in MDS. Aberrant methylation of DDIT3 was detected in 31.8% (21/66) of the cases analyzed. No correlation was found between DDIT3 promoter methylation and clinical parameters and MDS subtypes. Although the estimated 50% survival time of the methylated DDIT3 group was shorter than that of unmethylated group (12.0 months vs. 23.0 months), the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.137). These findings suggest that the hypermethylation of DDIT3 promoter might be one of early events in the development of MDS.
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