RUNX3 gene showing anti-tumor activity and use thereof

• US 7,368,255 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2001
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: National University of Singapore
• Original Assignee: Suk-Chul Bae, Yoshiaki Ito
• Inventors: Ito, Yoshiaki, Bae, Suk-Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu; Misook
• Assistant Examiner(s): Halvorson; Mark
• Application Number:
  US10/466,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20040146986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,653 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 435/7.23
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 11/00 Drugs for disorders of the respiratory system
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 35/00 Antineoplastic agents
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 14/4747 Apoptosis related proteins

Abstract

The present invention relates to a RUNX3 gene showing anti-tumor activity which is essentially involved in TGF-β dependent-programmed cell death (apoptosis) and use thereof. In addition, the present invention finds that the RUNX3 gene expression is suppressed in the various gastric cancer and lung cancer cell lines. The suppression of the RUNX3 gene expression is due to hyper-methylation of CpG island located around RUNX3 exon (1). The RUNX3 gene and its gene product of the present invention can be used effectively for the development of anti-cancer agents. CpG island around RUNX3 exon (1) could also be used not only for the development of anti-cancer agents which regulate the abnormal DNA methylation and there by induce RUNX3 expression but also for the development of methods for cancer diagnosis by measuring the abnormal DNA methylation.

Claims

1. A method for diagnosing cancers caused by a loss of RUNX3 expression due to the methylation of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ. ID. NO:

3, characterized by detecting the methylation of a nucleotide sequence SEQ. ID. NO;

3, containing CpG islands present near exon 1 of the RUNX3 gene, comprising the steps of;

isolating genomic DNA from a tumor tissue of a subject;

digesting the genomic DNA with a restriction enzyme sensitive to DNA methylation;

separating the genomic DNA digests on an agarose gel by electrophoresis and transferring them onto a membrane;

hybridizing the genomic DNA digests with a radiolabeled DNA probe for a RUNX3 gene; and

exposing the membrane to a film and detecting the methylation of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ. ID. No;

3, whereby the detection of methylation indicates a cancer caused by a loss of RUNX3 expression.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the cancer is gastric cancer or lung cancer.

2. A method for diagnosing cancers caused by a loss of RUNX3 expression due to the methylation of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ. ID. NO:

3, characterized by detecting the methylation of a nucleotide sequence SEQ. ID. NO;

3, containing CpG islands present near exon 1 of the RUNX3 gene, comprising the steps of;

isolating genomic DNA from the blood or tumor tissue of a subject;

digesting the genomic DNA with a restriction enzyme sensitive to DNA methylation;

performing a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the genomic DNA digests serving as templates and with parts of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ. ID. NO;

3 serving as primers;

separating the PCR products on an agarose gel by electrophoresis and detecting the amplification of a DNA sequence of interest, whereby the detection of amplification indicates a cancer caused by a loss of RUNX3 expression.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the cancer is gastric cancer or lung cancer.

3. A method for diagnosing cancer caused by a loss of RUNX3 expression due to the methylation of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ. ID. NO:

3 comprising;

detecting methylation of a nucleotide sequence containing CpG islands present near exon 1 of the RUNX3 gene, which is isolated from a subject.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the nucleotide sequence containing CpG islands comprises SEQ. ID. NO:

3.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the cancer is gastric cancer or lung cancer.