Use of id4 for diagnosis and treatment of cancer

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of determining whether a human subject is suffering from or at risk for developing pancreatic cancer by determining the methylation level of an ID4 gene promoter or the expression level of an ID4 gene in a biological sample from a human subject. Also disclosed are a method of analyzing the methylation level of an ID4 gene promoter or the expression level of an ID4 gene in a pancreatic cancer cell, and a method of inhibiting the methylation of an ID4 gene promoter or enhancing the expression of an ID4 gene by contacting a pancreatic cancer cell with a compound that decreases the methylation level of an ID4 gene promoter or increases the expression level of an ID4 gene in the cell.

1 . A method of inhibiting the methylation of an ID4 gene promoter or enhancing the expression of an ID4 gene in a cell, comprising:
 providing a pancreatic cancer cell; and   contacting the cell with a compound that decreases the methylation level of an ID4 gene promoter or increases the expression level of an ID4 gene in the cell.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pancreatic cancer cell is a primary or metastatic pancreatic cancer cell. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the compound is a demethylation agent or a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the demethylation agent is 5-aza-cytidine or the HDAC inhibitor is Trichostatin. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the compound is an ID4 protein, a nucleic acid encoding an ID4 protein, or an agent that activates an ID4 gene. 
     
     
         6 . A method for treating pancreatic cancer, comprising administering an effective amount of a compound that decreases the methylation level of an ID4 gene promoter or increases the expression level of an ID4 gene to a subject suffering from or at risk for developing pancreatic cancer. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the compound is a demethylation agent. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the demethylation agent is 5-aza-cytidine. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the compound is a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the HDAC inhibitor is Trichostatin. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the compound comprises polynucleotides. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the polynucleotides are siRNAs. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the compound is suspended in a pharmaceutically-acceptable carrier.