Alterations of p16INK4A Gene in Korean Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Basal Cell carcinoma of the Skin / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The inactivation of the cyclin dependent kinase 4 inhibitor p16INK4A may be caused by deletion, mutations or promoter hyper-methylation. Recently, DNA methylation of p16INK4A promoter has been shown to suppress of p16INK4A gene transcription in various tumors. OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the gene status of p16INK4A in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal call carcinoma (BCC) of the Korean skin to investigate whether the inactivation of the gene participated in carcinogenesis. METHODS: We examined 12 SCC and 3 BCC cell lines using PCR to detect homozygous deletion of chromosome 9p21 region and methylation-specific PCR. RESULTS: Deletion of the p16INK4A gene were not, but methylation of the p16INK4A promoter region was common in SCC of the skin. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that de novo methylation of the p16INK4A promoter region seems to play an important role in the pathogenesis of SCC.