Epigenetic regulation of cell type-specific expression patterns in the human mammary epithelium [ChIP-Seq]

Here we describe the application of high-throughput sequencing technology for profiling histone and DNA methylation, and gene expression patterns of normal human mammary progenitor-enriched and luminal lineage-committed cells. We observed significant differences in histone H3 lysine 27 tri-methylation (H3K27me3) enrichment and DNA methylation of genes expressed in a cell type-specific manner, suggesting their regulation by epigenetic mechanisms and a dynamic interplay between the two processes that together define developmental potential. The technologies we developed and the epigenetically regulated genes we identified will accelerate the characterization of primary cell epigenomes and the dissection of human mammary epithelial lineage-commitment and luminal differentiation. Examination of histone H3K27me3 modifications in 2 cell types from 3 individuals and H3K4me3 modifications in 2 cell types from one individual sample.