[Methylation profiling of human atherosclerotic plaques].

Somatic mutation theory of atherogenesis proved by alterations at the DNA level such as "loss of heterozygosity" and microsatellite instability in atherosclerotic plaque is complemented by the date of epigenetic variability of genetic loci involved in the pathological process. However, only recently large-scale analysis of epigenetic modifications in the human genome became possible. For the first time quantitative microarray-based methylation profiling of 1505 CpG-sites across 807 genes was performed in atherosclerotic aorta and carotid artery wall lesions using the GoldenGate Methylation Cancer Panel I ("Illumina", USA). One hundred and three (7%) CpG-sites in 90 (11%) genes were differentially methylated between tissue samples. The most pronounced differences in DNA methylation levels were registered for a site which is located in CpG-island of imprinted gene H19. By comparing 90 genes that were differentially methylated between tissue samples in our study, 10 genes (ICAM1, GSTM1, IGFBP1, POMC, APOA1, IL1RN, INS, LTA, MMP3, THBS2) were overlapped with data in Human Genome Epidemiology Network (HuGENet), in which they were identified as candidates for cardiovascular disease continuum.