Objective: To explore the methylation of CpG islands in promoter of eye absent gene 1 (EYA1) in microtia.
Methods: The methylation of CpG islands in EYA1 gene in 64 microtias and 36 healthy controls were measured using the technique of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight.
Results: The methylation of CpG_Unit3 and CpG_Unit5 of EYA1 gene in microtia were 0.09258 +/- 0.033846 and 0.0922 +/- 0.02379, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in control.
Conclusions: Hypomethylation in microtia may be related to the pathogenesis of the disease.