To compare Igf2 methylation in PBMC from healthy donors and patients with HCV-related cirrhosis without or with history of HCC.
After DNA extraction from frozen PBMC samples of 52 healthy blood donors and 121 patients with HCV-related cirrhosis either without (n = 59) or with past or present HCC (n = 62), and sodium bisulfite treatment, unbiased PCR amplification and Denaturing High Performance Liquid Chromatography (DHPLC) analysis were used for methylation analysis at the differentially methylated region 2 of Igf2. Methylation profiles were classified in three groups (unmethylated, U; methylated, M; and intermediate, UM) according to the proportions of M and U alleles, blindly to clinical data. In addition, 677C-T mutation of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) was investigated by fluorescent probes.
Prevalences of U, UM and M Igf2 profiles were: 8 % , 65 % and 27 % in blood donors, 0 % , 81 % and 19 % in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis without HCC, 71 % , 29 % and 0 % in patients with HCC (P < 0.0001). Igf2 methylation profile was independent from gender, age, body mass index, and presence of 677C-T mutation of MTHFR.
These observations suggest a decrease of Igf2 methylation from cirrhosis to HCC in patients with HCV infection, which may be an additional risk factor for HCC.