Genetic and epigenetic modifications of HPDL and SOX17 associated with breast cancer prognosis: a study based on The Cancer Genome Atlas

Abstract Background：The high heterogeneity of breast cancer (BRCA) makes it more challenging to interpret the genetic variation mechanisms involved in BRCA pathogenesis and prognosis. Areas with high DNA methylation (such as CpG islands) were accompanied by copy number variation (CNV), and these genomic variations affected the level of DNA methylation. Methods: In this study, we characterized inter-tumor heterogeneity and analyzed the effects of CNV on DNA methylation and gene expression. In addition, we performed a Genetic Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) to identify key pathways for changes between patients with low and high expression of genes. Results: Our analysis found that the CNV of HPDL and SOX17 is not only related to the patient's prognosis, but also related to gene methylation and expression levels affecting the patient's survival time. Conclusion: This study provided an effective bioinformatics basis for further exploration of molecular mechanisms related to BRCA and assessment of patient prognosis, but the development of biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment still requires further clinical data validation.