GSTP1, encoding the pi-class glutathione S-transferase, is commonly inactivated by somatic CpGisland hypermethylation in cancers of the prostate, liver, and breast. We report here thathypermethylation of CpG dinucleotides at the 5' transcriptional regulatory region was sufficient to inhibit GSTP1 transcription in MCF-7 breast cancer cells and that repression of GSTP1 transcription was mediated in part by the methyl-CpG-binding domain (MBD) protein MBD2. MCF-7 breast cancer cells contained only hypermethylated GSTP1 CpG island alleles and failed to express GSTP1 mRNA or GSTP1 polypeptides. In contrast, MCF-7/ADR cells contained only unmethylated GSTP1 CpG island alleles and exhibited abundant GSTP1 expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis detected the presence of MBD2 and DNMT1 at the GSTP1 promoter in MCF-7 breast cancer cells but not in MCF-7/ADR breast cancer cells. In a test of the contribution of MBD2 to GSTP1 repression in MCF-7 breast cancer cells, transfection of small interference RNA complementary to MBD2 mRNA into MCF-7 cells both reduced MBD2 polypeptide levels and stimulated GSTP1 mRNA expression. These findings implicate MBD2 in GSTP1 silencing associated with somatic GSTP1 CpG island hypermethylation in breast cancer cells.