Towards understanding the breast cancer epigenome: a comparison of genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression data.

ABSTRACT: Until recently, an elevated disease risk has been ascribed to a genetic predisposition, however, exciting progress over the past years has discovered alternate elements of inheritance that involve epigenetic regulation. Epigenetic changes are heritably stable alterations that include DNA methylation, histone modifications and RNA-mediated silencing. Aberrant DNA methylation is a common molecular basis for a number of important human diseases, including breast cancer. Changes in DNA methylation profoundly affect global gene expression patterns. What is emerging is a more dynamic and complex association between DNA methylation and gene expression than previously believed. Although many tools have already been developed for analyzing genome-wide gene expression data, tools for analyzing genom

SUBMITTER: Singhal SK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4823086 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature