At the molecular level the loss of DUSP6/MKP-3 expression in both pancreatic tumour cell lines and in advanced pancreatic cancer was correlated with the methylation of CpG sequences in intron 1 of the DUSP6 gene, suggesting that epigenetic silencing was responsible for lower levels of DUSP6 transcription [23]. This evidence concerns the gene DUSP6 and familial pancreatic carcinoma.