Meta-analysis and gene set enrichment relative to er status reveal elevated activity of MYC and E2F in the "basal" breast cancer subgroup.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Breast cancers lacking the estrogen receptor (ER) can be distinguished from other breast cancers on the basis of poor prognosis, high grade, distinctive histopathology and unique molecular signatures. These features further distinguish estrogen receptor negative (ER-) tumor subtypes, but targeted therapy is currently limited to tumors over-expressing the ErbB2 receptor.

Methodology/principal findings

To uncover the pathways against which future therapies could be developed we undertook a meta-analysis of gene expression from five large microarray datasets relative to ER status. A measure of association with ER status was calculated for every Affymetrix HG-U133A probe set and the pathways that distinguished ER- tumors were defined by testing for enrichment of biolo

SUBMITTER: Alles MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2650420 | biostudies-literature | 2009

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature