Significantly high racial disparities in preterm birth rates exist between White and Black women, even when accounting for socioeconomic status and known risk factors. One potential explanation is epigenetics. Differentially methylated genes in Black women who had given birth prematurely have been identified. It was to be determined if the differential methylation of one of those genes, SEPT9, could be correlated with Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma (BUC) and whether differences in methylation could be correlated to levels of gene expression. Using MethHC (a database of DNA methylation and gene expression in human cancer), SEPT9 was analyzed using CpG islands at an average methylation level. SEPT9 had minimal correlation > 0.078, standard deviation > 0.19, and P value > 0.23. When SEPT9 was analyzed at the 5’UTR region, there was notable correlation > 0.137, standard deviation > 0.24, and P value > 0.23. The greater differential methylation levels of SEPT9 on the 5’UTR region instead of the CpG island region may result in a difference in protein translation. The difference in protein translation may consequently correlate to the development of BUC in Black women, which may allow SEPT9 to be used as a biomarker.
