p14<Superscript>ARF</Superscript> promoter region methylation as a marker for gliomas diagnosis

Methylation in the promoter region is one of the mechanisms through which tumor suppressors are inactivated, resulting in tumorigenesis and/or tumor progression. Herein, we studied the methylation status in the promoter region of the p14^ARF tumor suppressor gene in 33 brain tissues isolated from glioma patients (astrocytomas) and compared to 12 brain tissues isolated from autopsy donors using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP). The correlation between the expression of P14 and P53 was investigated using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The average percentage of methylation in the promoter region of p14^ARF gene in brain samples from glioma patients is 39.4%, while 0 from autopsy donors. No difference in the methylation level between low-grade and high-grade gliomas was detected. The methylation status has no correlation with the prognosis in glioma patients. A significant correlation between the expression of mutant form of TP53 and the grade of the glioma was established. Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between methylation of the p14^ARF promoter and the expression of the mutant form of TP53. Therefore, our data suggest that methylation in the promoter region of the p14^ARF gene may be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis of gliomas.