Loss of H19 Imprinting in Esophageal Cancer1

Recent articles have reported that loss of imprinting (LOI) of the endogenous gene H19 was frequently found in lung cancer and chorio carcinoma, common adulthood cancers. Consequently, we examined the status of genomic imprinting of H19 in 29 esophageal and 48 colorectal cancer specimens, and studied its relation to the expression of H19. Of 12 esophageal cancer specimens heterozygous for the RsaI polymorphism, 6 (50%) exhibited LOl of H19, but none of the 18 colorectal cancer speci mean heterozygous for the RsaI polymorphism exhibited LOl ofHl9. The present study suggests that LOl ofHl9 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer. Moreover, H19 expression was fre quently abundant in both cancers, and all six esophageal cancers carried LOlwithoverexpressed H19.Therefore, thisoverexpressionfHl9seems to be an important phenomenon for the development of esophageal and colorectal cancer cells.