title: DNA methylation in paired breast epithelial and white blood cells from women undergoing reduction mammoplasty.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The extent to which white blood cell (WBC) DNA methylation provides information on the status of breast epithelial cell DNA is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the correlation between methylation in Ras-association domain family-1 gene (RASSF1), a tumor-suppressor gene, and methylation in repetitive elements in paired sets of DNA from WBC and breast epithelial cells collected from 32 women undergoing reduction mammoplasty.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed no evidence of correlation in methylation levels for ALU, long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE1) or juxtacentromeric satellite-2 (SAT2) (r=0.02 for LINE1, p=0.98; r=0.28 for ALU, p=0.12; r=0.26 for SAT2, p=0.17) for matched sets of DNA from WBC and breast epithelial cells. Variability in these markers across individuals and in the same tissue was low. Five women had an average methylation level above 5% for RASSF1 in breast epithelial cell DNA; however, average methylation levels in WBC DNA for these women were all below 1%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Methylation patterns in WBC DNA did not reflect methylation patterns in the breast.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, U.S.A. ssturgeon@schoolph.umass.edu.
authors.forename: Susan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Sturgeon
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Kathleen F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Arcaro
authors.affiliation: Pioneer Valley Plastic Surgery, Springfield, MA, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Raji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Balasubramanian
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zorn
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, U.S.A.
authors.forename: D Joseph
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Jerry
authors.affiliation: Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute, Springfield, MA, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Sallie Smith
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Schneider
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D020084:Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements / Q000235:genetics; D016462:Mammaplasty; D008875:Middle Aged; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm
keywords: Global methylation; LINE1; WBC DNA