Reduction of DNA methylation suppresses colon carcinogenesis through induction of tumor cell differentiation

In this study, we analyzed global gene expressions of colon tumors from DNA hypomethylated and the control mice. We found that DNA hypomethylated tumors express significantly higher levels of intestinal differentiation-related genes when compared with the control tumors. These results suggest that DNA methylation may play a role in the maintenance of undifferentiated state of colon tumor cells.

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Hatano Y, Semi K, Hashimoto K, Lee MS, Hirata A, Tomita H, Kuno T, Takamatsu M, Aoki K, Taketo MM, Kim YJ, Hara A, Yamada Y