Association of the Promoter Methylation and the rs12917 Polymorphism of MGMT with Formation of DNA Bulky Adducts and the Risk of Lung Cancer in Mexican Mestizo Population.

O6-Methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is an enzyme that repairs the DNA damage caused by the tobacco habit, and low activity of this enzyme has been associated with a risk of lung cancer (LC). Our objective was to determine the association of the promoter methylation and the rs12917 polymorphism of MGMT with formation of DNA bulky adducts and the risk of LC in the Mexican Mestizo population. In this study are included 431 subjects. High-resolution melting analysis was used to determine the polymorphism MGMT rs12917 and methylation levels. DNA bulky adducts were determined by 32P-postlabeling. Our results showed that MGMT rs12917 and higher levels of methylation in the MGMT promoter are associated with the risk of LC. The levels of adducts are related with the phe/phe genotype and, only in the cases group, with the hypermethylation (>50%) of MGMT; however, this last association was not statistically significant.