Promotor Hypomethylation of TFF1 Gene in Ulcerative Colitis is Positively Correlated with Aging

Background: Epigenetic modifications exhibit promising evidence in the etiology and prognosis of important diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). In addition to complex factors involved in IBD, a trend toward better prognosis has been reported in older ages of disease onset, specifically in ulcerative colitis (UC). The gastrointestinal mucous layer is one of the important components that is disturbed in the disease course. The integrity of this layer is maintained with an anti-inflammatory factor called trefoil factors (TFF). We investigated the methylation status of the TFF1 gene in UC patients alongside with correlation of its alteration level with age of disease onset. Method: We analyzed the promoter methylation status of the TFF1 gene, using the real-time quantitative multiplex methylation specific PCR (QM-MSP). DNA was extracted from colorectal biopsies of 15 ulcerative colitis and 14 healthy controls. Correlation analysis was performed between unmethylated DNA level and age through the Pearson correlation coefficient (PPC) test and simple linear regression models. Results: Our data provided a significant positive correlation between age and TFF1 hypomethylation in ulcerative colitis patients. However, no significant difference was observed in overall TFF1 methylation status between ulcerative colitis patients and control subjects. Conclusion: This finding suggests the association between epigenetic upregulation of the TFF1 gene with disease mildness in older patients.