BMP2 is silenced by promoter hypermethylation in rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines

Aberrant DNA methylation is the most common epigenetic alteration in solid cancer and suspected to silence tumor suppressor genes. Here, we have set out to identify epigenetically silenced genes in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most common soft-tissue-sarcoma of infancy. Upon treatment with the demethylating agent 5′-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (Aza), we found increased mRNA expression levels of BMP2 (bone morphogenetic protein 2) in three RMS cell lines. BMP2 is known to play an import role not only in the differentiation and formation of many organs and tissues, but also in carcinogenesis. Detailed methylation analysis…