Breast Cancer Methylomes Establish an Epigenomic Foundation for Metastasis

Cancer-specific changes in DNA methylation can alter genetic stability, genomic structure, and gene expression. Promoter CpG island methylation can result in transcriptional silencing and plays an important role in the oncogenic process. We used genome-wide analysis to characterize the methylomes of breast cancers with diverse metastatic behavior. Here, we describe the identification of novel groups of breast tumors characterized by the presence or absence of coordinate hypermethylation at a large number of genes, demonstrating the existence of a breast-CpG island methylator phenotype (B-CIMP). B-CIMP imparts a distinct epigenomic profile and is a strong determinant of metastatic potential. Gene Expression Samples (GSM647057-GSM647077): Twenty-one breast cancer primary samples were analyzed. There are 10 CIMP positive and 11 CIMP negative samples. Methylation Profiling Samples (GSM651372-GSM651410): Thirty-nine breast cancer primary samples were analyzed. There are 17 CIMP positive and 22 CIMP negative samples.