OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between and gene methylation with aging in the general population. METHODS: We collected peripheral blood samples from 284 male and 246 female healthy subjects for detection of methylation levels of and genes using quantitative methylation-specific PCR (qMSP). The relationship between the methylation levels of and genes and aging was analyzed using Spearman or Pearson correlation test. RESULTS: We found a significant positive correlation between the methylation levels of the two genes in these subjects ( < 0.05). In the overall population as well in the female subjects, methylation was found to be inversely correlated with age ( < 0.05). The methylation levels of and genes were inversely correlated with TG, ApoE, Lp(a) and AST in the overall population ( < 0.05). In both the female and male subjects, the methylation levels of the two genes were inversely correlated with Lp(a) ( < 0.05). In the male subjects, methylation was inversely correlated with AST ( < 0.05), while methylation was inversely correlated with HDL and ApoE ( < 0.05). In the female subjects, methylation was positively correlated with LDL and inversely correlated with ApoE and AST ( < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The methylation levels of and are closely related to age and the levels of multiple proteins in healthy subjects.
Aging ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p15 ; metabolism ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 ; metabolism ; DNA Methylation ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

BACKGROUND: The occurrence and development of lung cancer are closely linked to epigenetic modification. Abnormal DNA methylation in the CpG island region of genes has been found in many cancers. Protein kinase C delta binding protein (PRKCDBP) is a potential tumor suppressor and its epigenetic changes are found in many human malignancies. This study investigated the possibility of PRKCDBP methylation as a potential biomarker for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: We measured the methylation levels of PRKCDBP in the three groups of NSCLC tissues. Promoter activity was measured by the dual luciferase assay, with 5'-aza-deoxycytidine to examine the effect of demethylation on the expression level of PRKCDBP. RESULTS: The methylation levels of PRKCDBP in tumor tissues and 3 cm para-tumor were higher than those of distant (>10 cm) non-tumor tissues. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis between tumor tissues and distant non-tumor tissues showed that the area under the line (AUC) was 0.717. Dual luciferase experiment confirmed that the promoter region was able to promote gene expression. Meanwhile, in vitro methylation of the fragment (PRKCDBP_Me) could significantly reduce the promoter activity of the fragment. Demethylation of 5'-aza-deoxycytidine in lung cancer cell lines A549 and H1299 showed a significant up-regulation of PRKCDBP mRNA levels. CONCLUSIONS PRKCDBP methylation is a potential and promising candidate biomarker for non-small cell lung cancer.
Biomarkers/metabolism* ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; DNA Methylation ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/genetics* ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Promoter Regions, Genetic