Hypermethylation of CCND2 in Lung and Breast Cancer Is a Potential Biomarker and Drug Target

Lung and breast cancer are the leading causes of mortality in women worldwide. The discovery of molecular alterations that underlie these two cancers and corresponding drugs has contributed to precision medicine. We found that CCND2 is a common target in lung and breast cancer. Hypermethylation of the gene was reported previously; however, no comprehensive study has investigated the clinical significance of alterations and its applications and drug discovery. Genome-wide methylation and quantitative methylation-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed promoter hypermethylation in Taiwanese breast cancer patients. As compared with paired normal tissues and healthy individuals, promoter hypermethylation was detected in 40.9% of breast tumors and 44.4% of plasma circulating cell-free DNA of patients. The western cohort of The Cancer Genome Atlas also demonstrated promoter hypermethylation in female lung cancer, lung adenocarcinoma, and breast cancer patients and that promoter hypermethylation is an independent poor prognostic factor. The cell model assay indicated that CCND2 expression inhibited cancer cell growth and migration ability. The demethylating agent antroquinonol D upregulated CCND2 expression, caused cell cycle arrest, and inhibited cancer cell growth and migration ability. In conclusion, hypermethylation of is a potential diagnostic, prognostic marker and drug target, and it is induced by antroquinonol D.