ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Aberrant DNA methylation of gene promoters and the associated silencing of tumor suppressor genes are recognized as mechanisms contributing to tumor development. Therefore, detection of promoter hypermethylation is becoming important for diagnosis, prognosis, and aiding the design of cancer therapies. We describe a novel isothermal method for the detection of DNA hypermethylation. METHODS: Methylation-specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification (MS-LAMP) is a novel adaptation of LAMP. MS-LAMP was used for the highly specific detection of hypermethylated CpGs in the promoters of the CDKN2A [cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (melanoma, p16, inhibits CDK4)], GATA5 (GATA binding protein 5), and DAPK1 (death-associated protein kinase 1) genes. The reactions occurred under isothermal conditions with 3 primer sets specific for methylated promoters. Both turbidimetry and fluorescence were used for detection. The MS-LAMP assay was validated with bisulfite-treated plasmid and genomic DNA controls of known methylation status and was applied to detect hypermethylation in 18 clinical tumor samples. A multiplex MS-LAMP for CDKN2A, GATA5, and DAPK1 was also validated with the aid of synthetic positive and negative controls. RESULTS: The MS-LAMP assay showed high specificity with plasmid and genomic DNA targets in reactions carried out in <1 h. The assay had a detection limit of approximately 30 copies of methylated target sequence and a selectivity of 0.5% methylated DNA in a mixture with unmethylated DNA. Compared with methylation-specific PCR, the MS-LAMP assay detected lower rates of methylation in lung adenocarcinoma samples. Simultaneous multiplex detection of hypermethylation in the 3 targets (CDKN2A, GATA5, and DAPK1) was readily achieved with the MS-LAMP assay in both the turbidimetric and fluorescence detection formats. CONCLUSIONS: MS-LAMP provides a highly specific isothermal method for methylation detection and is well suited for multiplex approaches.
Subject(s)
DNA Methylation , Adenocarcinoma/metabolism , Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins/genetics , Base Sequence , Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases/genetics , CpG Islands , Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16/genetics , DNA Primers , Death-Associated Protein Kinases , Fluorometry , GATA5 Transcription Factor/genetics , Genome, Human , Humans , Indicators and Reagents , Lung Neoplasms/metabolism , Mass Spectrometry , Molecular Sequence Data , Nephelometry and Turbidimetry , Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques/methods , Plasmids , Promoter Regions, Genetic , Sensitivity and Specificity , SulfitesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Aberrant promoter methylation is a major mechanism for silencing tumor suppressor genes in cancer. Detection of hypermethylation is used as a molecular marker for early cancer diagnosis, as a prognostic index, or to define therapeutic targets for reversion of aberrant methylation. We report on a novel signal generation technology for real-time PCR to detect gene promoter methylation. METHODS: FLAG (fluorescent amplicon generation) is a homogeneous signal generation technology based on the exceptionally thermostable endonuclease PspGI. FLAG provides real-time signal generation during PCR by PspGI-mediated cleavage of quenched fluorophores at the 5' end of double-stranded PCR products. Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) applied on bisulfite-treated DNA was adapted to a real-time format (methylation-specific FLAG; MS-FLAG) for quantifying methylation in the promoter of CDKN2A (p16), GATA5, and RASSF1. We validated MS-FLAG on plasmids and genomic DNA with known methylation status and applied it to detection of methylation in a limited number of clinical samples. We also conducted bisulfite sequencing on these samples. RESULTS: Real-time PCR results obtained via MS-FLAG agreed with results obtained via conventional, gel-based MSP. The new technology showed high specificity, sensitivity (2-3 plasmid copies), and selectivity (0.01% of methylated DNA) on control samples. It enabled correct prediction of the methylation status of all 3 gene promoters in 21 lung adenocarcinoma samples, as confirmed by bisulfite sequencing. We also developed a multiplex MS-FLAG assay for GATA5 and RASSF1 promoters. CONCLUSION: MS-FLAG provides a new, quantitative, high-throughput method for detecting gene promoter methylation and is a convenient alternative to agarose gel-based MSP for screening methylation. In addition to methylation, FLAG-based real-time signal generation may have broad applications in DNA diagnostics.
