Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common types of cancer across the world. GC carcinogenesis demonstrates a multi-step progression with the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes. The genetic changes on gene expression, without any change on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing, are named as “epigenetic”. DNA methylation is the most commonly studied epigenetic modification in mammalians. Hypermethylation is observed on CpG (—C— phosphate—G—) islands In GC, promoter regions of genes. This is a significant mechanism that causes functional losses in tumor suppressor genes. In gastric cancer, DNA hypermethylation is seen in many genes. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) are a type of spiral-shaped Gram-negative bacteria. It infects approximately half of the world’s population. H. pylori is an important etiological factor that causes GC in human beings. Chronic H. pylori infection in human is associated with hypermethylation of promoter sequences of different genes. This paper provides a review of the current literature on the relationship between H. pylori infection and DNA hypermethylation in GC. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2015;5(4): 187-190
Key words: Gastric cancer, Helicobacter pylori, DNA hypermethylation.
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Primary Language | English |
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Journal Section | Review |
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Publication Date | February 6, 2016 |
Published in Issue | Year 2015 Volume: 5 Issue: 4 |