Down-regulation and gene hypermethylation of the 14-3-3 gamma in uterine leiomyoma.

We demonstrated that the expression of 14-3-3 gamma was lower in uterine leiomyomas compared to the adjacent normal myometrium. Here, we show that 14-3-3 gamma promoter is methylated more in leiomyomas than myometrium. The level of 14-3-3 gamma protein in leiomyomas did not change in respect to age, size, location, or the type of leiomyoma. ER-alpha, ER-beta, and PR proteins were also higher in leiomyomas and the level of these proteins negatively correlated with the level of 14-3-3 gamma protein. These results suggest that the hypermethylation of the 14-3-3 gene promoter accounts for the decreased 14-3-3 gamma in leiomyomas and that such a low level of expression may be involved in the pathogenesis of leiomyomas.