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Quantitative analysis of DNA methylation in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients
Author(s) -
Lyko Frank,
Stach Dirk,
Brenner Axel,
Stilgenbauer Stephan,
Döhner Hartmut,
Wirtz Michaela,
Wiessler Manfred,
Schmitz Oliver J.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
electrophoresis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.666
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1522-2683
pISSN - 0173-0835
DOI - 10.1002/elps.200305830
Subject(s) - dna methylation , chronic lymphocytic leukemia , methylation , dna , carcinogenesis , context (archaeology) , microbiology and biotechnology , capillary electrophoresis , genomic dna , chemistry , epigenomics , biology , leukemia , gene , chromatography , biochemistry , gene expression , genetics , paleontology
Changes in the genomic DNA methylation level have been found to be closely associated with tumorigenesis. In order to analyze the relation of aberrant DNA methylation to clinical and biological risk factors, we have determined the cytosine methylation level of 81 patients diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The analysis was based on DNA hydrolysis followed by derivatization of the 2'‐desoxyribonucleoside‐3'‐monophosphates with BODIPY FL EDA. Derivatives were separated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography, and laser‐induced fluorescence was used for detection. We analyzed potential correlations between DNA methylation levels and numerous patient parameters, including clinical observations and biological data. As a result, we observed a significant correlation with the immunoglobulin variable heavy chain gene (VH) mutation status. This factor has been repeatedly proposed as a reliable prognostic marker for CLL, which suggests that the methylation level might be a valuable factor in determining the prognostic outcome of CLL. We are now in the process of refining our method to broaden its application potential. In this context, we show here that the oxidation of the fluorescence marker in the samples and the evaporation of methanol in the electrolytes can be prevented by a film of paraffin oil. In summary, our results thus establish capillary electrophoresis as a valuable tool for analyzing the DNA methylation status of clinical samples.