Table 1.
Infection-associated cancers and aberrant DNA methylation
| Bacterium or virus | Cancer type | Tumor-suppressor genes methylated | Direct or indirect effect | Factors involved in induction of aberrant methylation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helicobacter pylori | Gastric cancer | p16, LOX [39], miR-124a [47], miR-34b/c [48], ANGPTL4 [46], FHL1 [44] | Indirect | Inflammation |
| Epstein-Barr virus | Gastric cancer | p73 [72], TFF1 [73] | Direct and/or indirect | Latent membrane proteins |
| Nasopharyngeal cancer | DLC1 [79], DAPK [77], p15, p16, RASSF1A, TSLC1 [78] | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Burkitt’s lymphoma | BIM, PRDM1 [84] | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Hepatitis B virus | Hepatocellular carcinoma | p16 [97], p21, CDH1 [18], SOCS1 [103], RASSF1A, GSTP1 [98] | Direct and/or indirect | HBx and inflammation |
| Hepatitis C virus | Hepatocellular carcinoma | p16 [97], RASSF1A, GSTP1 [98], RIZ1 [103] | Indirect | Inflammation |
| Human papillomavirus | Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma | p16, CDH1, RARβ [115], MGMT [114], DAPK [113], DCC, GALR1, GALR2 | Unknown | Unknown |
| Cervical cancer | p16, FHIT, GSTP1, MGMT [120], MAL [122], TSLC1 [123] | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Merkel cell polyomavirus | Merkel cell carcinoma | RASSF1A [161] | Unknown | Unknown |
HBx HBV encoded protein X