Molecular subtypes of breast cancer are associated with characteristic DNA methylation patterns.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Five different molecular subtypes of breast cancer have been identified through gene expression profiling. Each subtype has a characteristic expression pattern suggested to partly depend on cellular origin. We aimed to investigate whether the molecular subtypes also display distinct methylation profiles.

Methods

We analysed methylation status of 807 cancer-related genes in 189 fresh frozen primary breast tumours and four normal breast tissue samples using an array-based methylation assay.

Results

Unsupervised analysis revealed three groups of breast cancer with characteristic methylation patterns. The three groups were associated with the luminal A, luminal B and basal-like molecular subtypes of breast cancer, respectively, whereas cancers of the HER2-enr

SUBMITTER: Holm K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2917031 | biostudies-literature | 2010

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature