Journal of Life Science and Biomedicine  
J Life Sci Biomed, 8(1): 01-05, 2018  
ISSN 2251-9939  
Chromosomal Disorders and Aberrant DNA  
Methylation as Early Biomarkers of Breast  
Cancer Risk in Young Women  
Lola Tulkunovna ZAKIROVA1, Lola Telmanovna ALIMKHODJAEVA2, Dilbar Abdullaevna KADYROVA3  
1National Center for Cancer Research under the MoH Tashkent, Uzbekistan  
2Bioorganic Chemistry Institute named after A.S. Sadyko. Tashkent, Uzbekistan  
3Academy of Sciences, Tashkent, Uzbekistan  
Corresponding author’s Email: firebat2004@gmail.com  
ABSTRACT  
Original Article  
PII: S225199391800001-8  
Genetic instability is an early and constant characteristic of tumor cells. Chromosomal  
aberrations and epigenetic anomalies are the factors leading to genomic instability. This  
study aimed to investigate the relationship between chromosomal disorders and aberrant Rec. 03 Nov. 2017  
Acc. 09 Jan.  
Pub. 25 Jan.  
2018  
2018  
DNA methylation as strong biomarkers in early diagnostics of breast cancer in young women.  
The research was conducted in 20 patients, and involved 15 young females with breast cancer  
at stages T2-4N0-3MO (histologically confirmed). Cytogenetic tests of lymphocytes of females  
with breast cancer (BC) revealed chromosomal abnormalities expressing as deletions, iso-  
locus deletion of chromosomes and gaps. Activity of the DNA methyltransferase (DNA MTase)  
Keywords  
Chromosomal aberrations,  
DNA methyltransferase,  
in BC is shown to rise up to 58%, in comparison with the normal indexes. Conclusion: Breast cancer,  
Early diagnosis,  
Cytogenetic analysis of lymphocytes in BC women has revealed chromosomal abnormalities  
in the form of deletions, isolation of chromosome deletions and gaps. It has been shown that in  
BC, the activity of DNA methyltransferase is increased by 58%, compared with the normal  
indexes.  
Iso-locus deletion,  
Epigenetic control,  
DNA methylation,  
Histone modifications,  
INTRODUCTION  
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common form of malignancy in women and the leading cause of female cancer  
death. Despite the fact that BC is more common at the age of 55-65 years, recently the worldwide trend has  
developed towards BC higher incidence in young women. The highest morbidity is reported at the age of 32 - 38  
years, i.e. during the active reproductive period [1-4].  
The problem of early diagnosis of the tumor development, primary BC prevention, i.e., anticipation of  
conditions that lead to functional and morphological prerequisites to the onset of dysplasia viz mammary gland  
precancer, remains an urgent one. To solve the problem of early diagnosis, some reliable and simple methods of  
the tumor detection at preclinical stages are needed.  
Genetic instability is an early and permanent hallmark of tumor cells [5]. Such disorders of the genetic  
apparatus of cells as chromosomal aberrations and epigenetic abnormalities are the factors leading to genomic  
To cite this paper: Zakirova LT, Alimkhodjaeva LT and Kadyrova DA. 2018. Chromosomal Disorders and Aberrant DNA Methylation as Early Biomarkers of Breast  
Cancer Risk in Young Women. J. Life Sci. Biomed. 8(1): 01-05; www.jlsb.science-line.com  
instability. Chromosomal abnormality is one of early genetic disorders resulting in the induction of the cell  
genome instability and, as a consequence, its malignant transformation. The pattern of neoplastic cells  
methylation changes significantly in comparison with normal cells; total demethylation is accompanied by an  
increase in the activity of DNA methyltransferase DNA MTase and local hypermethylation of CpG islands. The  
mechanism of local hypermethylation is not completely clear. Apparently, the important role in this process is  
played by an increase in methyltransferase activity [6, 7]. The interrelation of genes, chromosomal and  
epigenetic disorders in induction of genomic instability in the development of BC is of great importance [8].  
MATERIAL AND METHODS  
During the research, DNA samples obtained from peripheral blood leukocytes of BC patients (15 females) were  
used. The blood of BC patients was received at the Department of Mammalogy of the National Center for  
Cancer Research of the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Uzbekistan. As a control, DNA from peripheral blood  
leukocytes taken from healthy donors was used (10 donors). Generally accepted clinical and morphological  
prognostic criteria were evaluated: the tumor histological type, tumor receptor status, HER2/neu expression.  
All of them were studied using the biopsy material.  
Ethical approval  
The review board and ethics committee of National Center for Cancer Research under the MoH Tashkent,  
Uzbekistan AND Bioorganic Chemistry Institute named after A.S. Sadyko. Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Academy of  
Sciences, Tashkent, Uzbekistan approved the study protocol and gave permission.  
Extraction of eDNA from serum / plasma  
One ml of peripheral blood taken from the ulnar vein was transferred to plastic tubes with Na2-EDTA  
sprayed. The blood was centrifuged at 40 °C sequentially at 1500 rpm for 10 minutes, at 3000 rpm for 15  
minutes, at 5000 rpm for 15 minutes. After centrifugation, 400 μl of blood serum were taken from the tubes and  
transferred to new sterile tubes. The serum was pretreated with the RNA (100 μg/ml), incubated at 37 °C for 1 h,  
then resuspended with proteinase K (50 μg/ml), incubated for 1 hour at 37 °C. After enzymatic treatment, the  
blood serum was added to 200 μl of lysis buffer (100 mM Tris- HCl, pH 8.0; 25 mM EDTA, pH 8.0; 0.15 M NaCl;  
0.7 M β-Mercaptoethanol; SDS) to a final concentration of 2%. The lysis was carried out in the cold for 3 minutes  
(on ice). The aliquots were deproteinized for 15 minutes in 1.5 ml phenol / chloroform mixture (1: 2) followed by  
15 min. centrifugation at 5000 rpm at 40 °C. The supernatant was transferred to new test-tubes, 1/10 volume of  
3M sodium acetate pH 5.2 was added, as well as 2.5-volume of cooled 96% ethanol, and the tubes were left  
overnight at -200 °C. The denatured eDNA preparations were centrifuged at 5000 rpm for 30 min at 40⁰C. The  
eDNA precipitate was washed in 1 ml with cooled 70% ethanol for 15 minutes, and then centrifuged at 13.000  
rpm for 15 min at 40 °C, then it was dried in vacuum desiccator for 15 minutes and dissolved in 300 μl of TE  
buffer, pH 8.0 and stored at -200 °C. The eDNA aliquots were analyzed in 2% agarose gel containing 0.5 μg/ml  
ethidium bromide. Electrophoresis was conducted for 1 hour at 100V; the gel was photographed in UV rays.  
Cultivation of lymphocytes  
The culture medium consisting of (per vial): 6 ml of RPMI 1640 medium with glutamine (PANECO, Russia),  
1 ml of fetal bovine serum (produced in France-Germany), 40 μg/ml gentamicin and 20 μg/ml mitogen -  
phytohemagglutinin (PHA DifcоP) was added to 0.8 ml of whole blood. The prepared cell culture was incubated  
in thermostat at 370°C and was periodically shaken gently (1-2 times per day). This procedure prevents  
excessive agglutination of erythrocytes. The cultivation time under the experimental conditions was 72 hours.  
The cells were fixed for 72 hours after the initiation of cultivation. Two hours prior to fixation, colchicine (0.4  
μg/ml) was injected into the culture medium that destroyed the spindle microtubules and prevented  
chromosome divergence. In consequence, the cellular mitosis stopped at the metaphase stage. The cultured  
cells suspension was poured into centrifuge tubes, centrifuged at 1000 rpm for 7 minutes. Then, the  
supernatant was removed, the precipitate was shaken, 7 ml of hypotonic solution 0.075 1M KCl pre-heated to 37  
°C were added. After that the tubes were again placed in thermostat for 20 minutes. Hypotonic treatment is  
carried out for the best spread of chromosomes of lymphocytes. After the end of hypotonic treatment of the  
cells, they were fixed in three stages. At the first stage, the cell suspension, after treatment in KCl hypotonic  
To cite this paper: Zakirova LT, Alimkhodjaeva LT and Kadyrova DA. 2018. Chromosomal Disorders and Aberrant DNA Methylation as Early Biomarkers of Breast  
Cancer Risk in Young Women. J. Life Sci. Biomed. 8(1): 01-05; www.jlsb.science-line.com  
solution in thermostat, was centrifuged at 1000 rpm for 7 minutes, and then the supernatant was removed,  
leaving about 0.5 ml of hypotonic solution above the cell precipitate. After precipitate shaking, 8 ml of freshly  
prepared cold fixative solution, consisting of 3 parts of ethanol and 1 part of glacial acetic acid, were added to  
the cell suspension, and then placed into refrigerator (at 60 °C) for 20 min. Then, in the same way, the second  
stage of fixation was carried out. After this, the third and last stage of fixation was carried out similarly to the  
second stage. After the last fixation, the cells were pelleted by centrifugation (1000 rpm p/m) for 7 minutes and  
re-suspended in a small volume of the fresh fixative (0.5 ml). The suspension of the cultured cells was applied on  
wet cold glass slides by dropping. To do this, the cell suspension was dropped from 35 to 40 cm height with a  
Pasteur pipette onto the surface of the slides, which were then dried in the air. The preparations were stained  
with 4% Romanovsky-Giemsa stain. The analysis was carried out at the metaphase stage.  
Determination of the methylating enzyme activity  
The incubation mixture (130 μl) contained 5 μg of DNA, 20 μl of 3HSAM, 5 μl of methyltransferase, 50 μl of  
phosphate buffer containing 10 mM Na2HPO4 pH 7.5. The samples were incubated for 18 hours at 37 °C. The  
DNA samples were precipitated in 10% ice-cold TCA and applied to pre-moisten 5% TCA CF/C filters. The filters  
were washed with 50 ml of 5% TCA and 40 ml of ethanol. Radioactivity of precipitates on the filters was counted  
in Mark III liquid scintillation counter. With an increase in the amount of the enzyme in the incubation mixture,  
the amount of DNA proportionally increased. To control the maximum level of DNA methylation, the reaction  
was carried out till reaching the plateau. The methylated DNA was incubated for 40 min. at 600 °C in 0.5  
NaOH solution, the DNA was centrifuged for 20 min. in “Beckman” centrifuge, and the DNA was precipitated.  
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION  
The research has revealed some specific features of cytogenetic disorders causing the development of genomic  
instability in BC. For this purpose, cytogenetic analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes of young women with  
BC was performed. Cultivation of lymphocytes was carried out by the modified method of McGregor and  
In the cell cultures at the metaphase stage in healthy women, the rearrangement was found in 0.47 - 0.56%.  
A slight increase in the incidence of these disorders was observed in two patients (0.66 and 0.88%, respectively).  
Other patients showed from 1.06 to 3.44% (almost 7 times higher than the controls).  
The following types of aberrations were found: terminal single deletions occurred in 7 of 8 females (it did  
not occur in healthy women); isolation of chromosome deletions occurred in 4 of 8 patients; gaps were found in  
3 patients.  
Table 1 presents the results of cytogenetic analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes of women with BC.  
They include single deletions, isolation of chromosome deletions, and gaps. The table demonstrates that the  
number of common chromosomal rearrangements in women suffering from BC is much higher than in healthy  
women.  
Summarizing the results of cytogenetic analysis, it can be assumed that the occurrence of cells with  
chromosomal aberrations, i.e. cells with stable disorders in chromosomes in the form of deletions and  
insertions, is considered a sign of tumor formation process. Genetic disorders result in genomic instability that  
leads to acceleration of malignant processes and development of a neoplasia process.  
In order to understand the cause of simultaneous hypermethylation and hypomethylation of DNA in breast  
cancer, we have studied the activity of DNA methyltransferase in DNA of normal and tumor cells. To that end in  
view, eDNA was isolated from the blood plasma of healthy women and women with BC.  
For methylation, the eDNA molecules were treated with DNA methyltransferase enzyme. The change in  
the activity of methyltransferase in BC was revealed (Figure 2) shows the curves reflecting changes in normal  
activity and those ones in BC. The Figure demonstrates that in BC, methyltransferase activity increases by 58%  
compared with the norm. Molecular mechanisms of enhanced expression of DNA methyltransferase in tumor  
cells have not been elucidated. Apparently, this can be a compensatory response of the cell to general  
demethylation. The increase in methyltransferase activity significantly affects both the profile of DNA  
methylation and local hypermethylation.  
To cite this paper: Zakirova LT, Alimkhodjaeva LT and Kadyrova DA. 2018. Chromosomal Disorders and Aberrant DNA Methylation as Early Biomarkers of Breast  
Cancer Risk in Young Women. J. Life Sci. Biomed. 8(1): 01-05; www.jlsb.science-line.com  
Table 1. Types of chromosomal aberrations in young women with breast cancer  
Types of chromosomal aberrations  
Number of  
metaphases  
studied  
Metaphases with  
rearrangements  
%
Patients  
Single terminal  
Isolation of deletions  
Gaps, %  
deletions, %  
1.53 ± 0.69  
0.8 ± 0.56  
2.87 ± 1.2  
1.28 ± 0.9  
-
without fusion ,%  
1.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
5.  
6.  
7.  
8.  
196  
250  
174  
156  
151  
166  
188  
193  
212  
178  
2.55 ± 1.01  
0.8 ± 0.56  
3.44 ± 1.4  
2.56 ± 1.2  
0.66 ± 0.07  
3.01 ± 1.34  
1.06 ± 0.75  
2.6 ± 1.1  
1.02 ± 0.72  
-
-
-
-
0.57 ± 0.06  
0.64 ± 0.06  
0.66 ± 0.07  
0.64 ± 0.06  
-
2.41 ± 1.2  
1.06 ± 0.75  
2.7 ± 1.03  
-
-
-
-
0.6 ± 0.06  
-
0.56 ± 0.05  
-
0.56 ± 0.06  
9. (control)  
10. (control)  
0.47 ± 0.05  
0.56 ± 0.06  
0.47 ± 0.047  
-
-
Figure 1. Cytogenetic analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes in BC women (Chromatid breaks or deletion)  
Figure 2 (A and B). Activity of DNA methyltransferase in healthy donors and BC women  
To cite this paper: Zakirova LT, Alimkhodjaeva LT and Kadyrova DA. 2018. Chromosomal Disorders and Aberrant DNA Methylation as Early Biomarkers of Breast  
Cancer Risk in Young Women. J. Life Sci. Biomed. 8(1): 01-05; www.jlsb.science-line.com  
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION  
Cytogenetic analysis of lymphocytes in BC women has revealed chromosomal abnormalities in the form of  
deletions, isolation of chromosome deletions and gaps. It has been shown that in BC, the activity of DNA  
methyltransferase is increased by 58%, compared with the norm.  
Determination of molecular markers allows us to identify a group of patients with an increased risk of  
suffering, early BC. But, it is not subject to preventive chemotherapy, and to assess the sensitivity to a  
particular type of systemic therapy, and for the purpose of individualization. Also, the importance of  
molecular markers can be used to develop new modern drugs, acting as a target for these molecules.  
Molecular-biological markers, determined in tumor tissue, make it possible to characterize the tumor with  
respect to: sensitivity to hormone therapy and targeted therapy, as well as a tendency to invasion and  
metastasis.  
DECLARATIONS  
Authors’ Contributions  
All authors contributed equally to this work.  
Acknowledgements  
This work was supported by National Center for Cancer Research under the MoH Tashkent, Uzbekistan,  
Bioorganic Chemistry Institute named after A.S. Sadyko, Tashkent, Uzbekistan and Academy of Sciences,  
Tashkent, Uzbekistan.  
Competing interests  
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.  
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To cite this paper: Zakirova LT, Alimkhodjaeva LT and Kadyrova DA. 2018. Chromosomal Disorders and Aberrant DNA Methylation as Early Biomarkers of Breast  
Cancer Risk in Young Women. J. Life Sci. Biomed. 8(1): 01-05; www.jlsb.science-line.com