Aim1: Characterize CIMP phenotype in colon cancer using the 450k arrays
–Identify patient groups in relation to characteristic DNA methylation signature (CIMP)
–Where does it occur? CpG islands/shores/shelves
–Any correlation with overall survival/presence of (no information available) metastasis, tumor stage, lymphocyte invasion
–Methods: comethylation networks and clustering
Aim2: Characterize CIMP phenotype in relation to the gene mutations
- All genes with the focus on the known players such as KRAS and BRAF
-Focus on epigenes (EZH2, DNMT, etc)
-Casual relationship between mutations and CIMP (what comes first)
Aim3: Compare rectal and colon cancer in relation to CIMP (as 450k array data for READ arrive?)