Project description: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-enriched and normal-like subtypes were distributed among the three groups. The methylation frequencies were significantly different between subtypes, with luminal B and basal-like tumours being most and least frequently methylated, respectively. Moreover, targets of the polycomb repressor complex in breast cancer and embryonic stem cells were more methylated in luminal B tumours than in other tumours. BRCA2-mutated tumours had a particularly high degree of methylation. Finally, by utilizing gene expression data, we observed that a large fraction of genes reported as having subtype-specific expression patterns might be regulated through methylation. Conclusions: We have found that breast cancers of the basal-like, luminal A and luminal B molecular subtypes harbour specific methylation profiles. Our results suggest that methylation may play an important role in the development of breast cancers. DNA methylation profiling of breast cancer samples and normal breast tissue samples. The Illumina GoldenGate Methylation Cancer Panel I was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 1500 CpGs. Samples included 189 breast cancer samples and 4 normal breast tissue samples. Bisulphite converted DNA from the samples were hybridised to the Illumina GoldenGate Methylation Cancer Panel I
Project description:Purpose In breast cancer, specific aberrant methylation patterns have been associated with different BC histologic and molecular subtypes and data suggest that DNA methylation profiles may play an important role in the development and progression of distinct breast subtypes. However, the epigenome of the newly defined luminal B and luminal B-HER2 positive breast cancers has not yet been characterized. Therefore the main goal of the current study is to deciphered the aberrant DNA methylation profiles associated with these breast cancer subtypes. Experimental Design 29 luminal subtype breast cancer samples along with 8 control tissue were epigenetically interrogated using the HumanMethylation27 DNA Analysis BeadChip. Results Luminal B-HER2 + subtype displays the most aggressive phenotype and shows the highest number of aberrantly methylated CpG markers. On the other hand, the luminal B subtype harbours an heterogeneous DNA methylation profile that seems to be half way between the luminal A and luminalB-HER2+ subtypes. Conclusions The heterogeneous epigenetic and genetic profile of the luminal B subtype, might indicate that a further stratification has to be done for this specific breast cancer subtype.
Project description:Gene methylation profiling of immortalized human mesenchymal stem cells comparing HPV E6/E7-transfected MSCs cells with human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT)- and HPV E6/E7-transfected MSCs. hTERT may increase gene methylation in MSCs. Goal was to determine the effects of different transfected genes on global gene methylation in MSCs.
Project description: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-enriched and normal-like subtypes were distributed among the three groups. The methylation frequencies were significantly different between subtypes, with luminal B and basal-like tumours being most and least frequently methylated, respectively. Moreover, targets of the polycomb repressor complex in breast cancer and embryonic stem cells were more methylated in luminal B tumours than in other tumours. BRCA2-mutated tumours had a particularly high degree of methylation. Finally, by utilizing gene expression data, we observed that a large fraction of genes reported as having subtype-specific expression patterns might be regulated through methylation. Conclusions: We have found that breast cancers of the basal-like, luminal A and luminal B molecular subtypes harbour specific methylation profiles. Our results suggest that methylation may play an important role in the development of breast cancers. DNA methylation profiling of breast cancer samples and normal breast tissue samples. The Illumina GoldenGate Methylation Cancer Panel I was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 1500 CpGs. Samples included 189 breast cancer samples and 4 normal breast tissue samples.