简介：TounderstandtheDNA-methylationmediatedgenesilencingmechanisms,weanalyzedincellcultureofthepromoterfunctionoftheMAGE-A1gene,whichisfrequentlydemethylatedandover-expressedinhumanhepatocellularcarcinoma.WehaveestablishedthecorrelationoftheDNAmethylationofthepromoterCpGislandwithexpressionstatusofthisgeneinapaneloftheestablishedlivercancercelllines.ThecrucialCpGdinucleotide(s)withintheminimalpromotersubjectedtothecontrolmediatedbyDNAmethylationwithprofoundbiologicalfunctionswasalsodelineated.Furthermore,anovelsequence-specificDNA-proteininteractionatthe-30CpGdinucleotideupstreamofthegenewasfoundhavingavitalparttoplayintheDNAmethylationmediatedtranscriptionsilencingoftheMAGE-A1gene.OurresultswouldnotonlyprovidenewinsightsintotheDNAmethylationmediatedmechanismsovertranscriptionoftheMAGE-A1gene,butalsopavethewayforfurtherdefiningthecross-talkamongDNAmethylation,histonemodificationandchromatinremodelingindetail.