Epigenotyping in peripheral blood cell DNA and breast cancer risk: a proof of principle study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Epigenetic changes are emerging as one of the most important events in carcinogenesis. Two alterations in the pattern of DNA methylation in breast cancer (BC) have been previously reported; active estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) is associated with decreased methylation of ER-alpha target (ERT) genes, and polycomb group target (PCGT) genes are more likely than other genes to have promoter DNA hypermethylation in cancer. However, whether DNA methylation in normal unrelated cells is associated with BC risk and whether these imprints can be related to factors which can be modified by the environment, is unclear.

Methodology/principal findings

Using quantitative methylation analysis in a case-control study (n = 1,083) we found that DNA methylation of peripheral bloo

SUBMITTER: Widschwendter M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2442168 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature