Association of DVL2 and AXIN2 gene polymorphisms with cleft lip with or without cleft palate in a polish population

BACKGROUND: Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) is one of the most common congenital anomalies, with a complex and still not fully understood etiology. Given the important role of the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway during craniofacial development, we decided to test the hypothesis that common polymorphic variants of the genes encoding crucial components of this signaling pathway might contribute to the risk of NSCL/P in the Polish population. METHODS: A set of 19 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the APC, AXIN1, AXIN2, CTNNB1, DVL2, and GSK‐3β genes were analyzed using restriction fragment length polymorphism and high‐resolution melting curve methods in a group of 280 patients with NSCL/P and a properly matched control group (n = 330). RESULTS: Both single‐marker and haplotype analyses showed an association between SNPs in the DVL2 gene and the risk for NSCL/P. The strongest association was found under an overdominant model for the rs35594616 variant located in the exonic sequence of DVL2 (odds ratio [OR], 1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37–2.62; p < 0.0001). Moreover, the gene‐gene interaction analysis revealed a significant epistatic interaction between DVL2 gene SNPs in the susceptibility to orofacial clefts. Borderline association with a decreased risk of NSCL/P was also observed for the AXIN2 rs3923087 variant (dominant model OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.50–0.95; p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that polymorphic variants of the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway genes have a role in the susceptibility to orofacial clefts. The DVL2 and AXIN2 genes might be candidate genes for this craniofacial anomaly in the Polish population. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Analysis of susceptibility polymorphisms for nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate in the Brazilian population

Background : Although genome‐wide association studies have identified several susceptibility loci for nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) in populations around the world, the role of most loci is unknown in the highly heterogeneous Brazilian population. Methods : To determine the association of 7 markers that showed genome‐wide significant association in Brazilians with NSCL/P, we conducted a structured association study conditioned upon the individual ancestry proportions to evaluate markers at 1p36 (rs742071), 2p21 (rs7590268), 3p11.1 (rs7632427), 8q21.3 (rs12543318), 13q31.1 (rs8001641), 15q22.2 (rs1873147), and 17q22 (rs227731) in 505 patients with NSCL/P and 594 healthy controls recruited from 2 different geographical regions of Brazil. The polymorphisms were genotyped by TaqMan 5′‐exonuclease allelic discrimination assay, and each sample was independently typed for 40 biallelic short insertion/deletion markers to characterize the genomic ancestry. Results : After Bonferroni correction for multiple tests, significant associations with NSCL/P were observed for rs742071, rs1873147, and rs227731. However, the frequency of the risk alleles varied between the geographical regions, according to the proportions of European and African genomic ancestry. The group enriched by European ancestry showed significant association with rs227731 (p = 0.001), whereas the group with high African ancestry was significantly associated with rs1873147 polymorphism (p = 0.005). The significant association with rs742071 was only detected in the combined sample (p = 0.005). Conclusion : The findings of the present study revealed the associations of 1p36 (rs742071), 15q22 (rs1873147), and 17p22 (rs227731) with NSCL/P in the Brazilian population, and further confirmed that the genetic heterogeneity of NSCL/P may be related to the different ethnic background of the affected individuals. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 100:36–42, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The CRISPLD2 gene is involved in cleft lip and/or cleft palate in a Chinese population

BACKGROUND: Nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or cleft palate (NSCLP) are common congenital anomalies in humans, the etiologies of which are complex and associated with both genetic and environmental factors. Previous data suggested single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of rs1546124, rs4783099, and rs16974880 of the CRISPLD2 gene were associated with an increased risk of NSCLP; however, subsequent studies have yielded conflicting results. This study aims to evaluate the associations of the aforementioned polymorphisms with NSCLP in a Northwestern Chinese population. METHODS: Three CRISPLD2 SNPs were genotyped in a case‐control study (n = 907), including 444 NSCLP patients and 463 healthy individuals, using polymerase chain reaction–denaturing high‐performance liquid chromatography (PCR‐DHPLC). RESULTS: The genotype and allele frequencies of rs1546124 (odds ratio [OR], 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.58–3.34; p = 1 × 10⁻⁵) and rs4783099 (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.54–1.00; p = 0.05) were different in NSCLP patients compared with controls. Furthermore, the CC genotype at rs1546124 was associated with increased risk for cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P; OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.41–3.15; p_correct = 1.5 × 10⁻⁴) and for cleft palate only (CPO; OR, 2.93; 95% CI, 1.69–5.07; p_correct = 5.4 × 10⁻⁴), whereas the T allele of rs4783099 was associated with decreased risk for CPO. Further gender stratification showed that the statistical association of these two loci is mainly in the male patients, and not in female patients. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the CRISPLD2 gene contributes to the etiology of NSCLP in the Northwestern Chinese population. SNP rs1546124 is significantly related to NSCLP, associated with both CL/P and CPO groups, and SNP rs4783099 is significantly associated with CPO. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Polymorphisms of stress-related genes and the risk of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate

BACKGROUND: Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NCL/P) is a common structural malformation with a complex and multifactorial etiology. It has been shown that maternal psychological stress in the periconceptional period can contribute to an increase in the risk of NCL/P affecting pregnancy. METHODS: Twenty‐four single nucleotide polymorphisms of 11 stress‐related genes (COMT, CRHR1, FKBP5, GABRA6, HSD11β2, MAOA, NPY, NR3C1, SERPINA6, SLC6A4, and TPH2) were investigated in 220 healthy mothers of children with facial clefts and 210 matched controls using restriction fragment‐length polymorphism and high‐resolution melting analysis. RESULTS: We found that polymorphisms in SLC6A4, TPH2, and SERPINA6 appear to be maternal factors increasing the risk of having a child with facial clefts. The closest correlations with NCL/P were found for the SLC6A4 rs2020942 and TPH2 rs10879357 gene variants (odds ratio [OR], 1.720; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.158–2.553; p = 0.0069; p_trend = 0.0036; and OR, 1.837; 95% CI, 1.226–2.753, p = 0.0030, p_trend = 0.0057; respectively). Moreover, haplotype analysis revealed that several combinations of markers in SLC6A4, TPH2, and SERPINA6 might be significantly associated with the risk of NCL/P affected pregnancies. However, these associations were not statistically significant after correction for multiple testing. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that nucleotide variants of genes encoding components of the hypothalamus‐pituitary‐adrenal axis and serotoninergic system have a role in the etiology of NCL/P in the Polish population. SLC6A4, TPH2, and SERPINA6 might be novel candidate genes for this common congenital anomaly. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

CYP1A1 rs1048943 and rs4646903 polymorphisms associated with laryngeal cancer susceptibility among Asian populations: a meta‐analysis

Many studies have investigated the association between CYP1A1 rs1048943 and rs4646903 polymorphisms and laryngeal cancer risk, but their results have been inconsistent. The PubMed and CNKI were searched for case–control studies published up to 01 July 2015. Data were extracted and pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. In this meta‐analysis, we assessed 10 published studies involving comprising 748 laryngeal cancer cases and 1558 controls of the association between CYP1A1 rs1048943 and rs4646903 polymorphisms and laryngeal cancer risk. For CYP1A1 rs1048943 of the homozygote G/G and G allele carriers (A/G + G/G) versus A/A, the pooled ORs were 1.77 (95% CI = 1.28–2.81, P = 0.007 for heterogeneity) and 1.86 (95% CI = 1.45–2.40, P = 0.000 for heterogeneity). For CYP1A1 rs4646903 of the homozygote G/G and G allele carriers (A/G + G/G) versus A/A, the pooled ORs were 1.53 (95% CI = 1.31–2.21, P = 0.012 for heterogeneity) and 1.33(95% CI = 1.04–1.71, P = 0.029 for heterogeneity). In the stratified analysis by ethnicity, the significantly risks were found among Asians for both the G allele carriers and homozygote G/G. However, no significant associations were found in Caucasian population all genetic models. These results from the meta‐analysis suggest that CYP1A1 rs1048943 and rs4646903 polymorphisms contribute to risk of laryngeal cancer among Asian populations.     

Interactive effects of CDKN2B-AS1 gene polymorphism and habitual risk factors on oral cancer

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common malignant disease associated with a high mortality rate and heterogeneous disease aetiology. Cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2B antisense RNA 1 (CDKN2B-AS1), is a long noncoding RNA that has been shown to act as a scaffold, sponge, or signal hub to promote carcinogenesis. Here, we attempted to assess the effect of CDKN2B-AS1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the susceptibility to OSCC. Five CDKN2B-AS1 SNPs, including rs564398, rs1333048, rs1537373, rs2151280 and rs8181047, were analysed in 1060 OSCC cases and 1183 cancer-free controls. No significant association of these five SNPs with the risk of developing OSCC was detected between the case and control group. However, while examining the clinical characteristics, patients bearing at least one minor allele of rs1333048 (CA and CC) were more inclined to develop late-stage (stage III/IV, adjusted OR, 1.480; 95% CI, 1.129–1.940; p = 0.005) and large-size (greater than 2 cm in the greatest dimension, adjusted OR, 1.347; 95% CI, 1.028–1.765; p = 0.031) tumours, as compared with those homologous for the major allele (AA). Further stratification analyses demonstrated that this genetic correlation with the advanced stage of disease was observed only in habitual betel quid chewers (adjusted OR, 1.480; 95% CI, 1.076–2.035; p = 0.016) or cigarette smokers (adjusted OR, 1.531; 95% CI, 1.136–2.063; p = 0.005) but not in patients who were not exposed to these major habitual risks. These data reveal an interactive effect of CDKN2B-AS1 rs1333048 with habitual exposure to behavioural risks on the progression of oral cancer.     

Association between ABHD1 and DOK6 polymorphisms and susceptibility to Hirschsprung disease in Southern Chinese children

Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is an infrequent congenital intestinal dysplasia. The known genetic variations are unable to fully explain the pathogenesis of HSCR. The α/β-hydratase domain 1 (ABHD1) interferes with the proliferation and migration of intestinal stem cells. Docking protein 6 (DOK6) is involved in neurodevelopment through RET signalling pathway. We examined the association of ABHD1 and DOK6 genetic variants with HSCR using 1470 controls and 1473 HSCR patients from Southern Chinese children. The results clarified that DOK6 rs12968648 G allele significantly increased HSCR susceptibility, in the allelic model (p = 0.034; OR = 1.12, 95%CI = 1.01~1.24) and the dominant model (p = 0.038; OR = 1.12, 95%CI = 1.01~1.25). Clinical stratification analysis showed that rs12968648 G allele was associated with increased risk of short-segment HSCR (S-HSCR), in the allelic model (p = 0.028; OR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.01~1.28) and the additive model (p = 0.030; OR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.01~1.28). ABHD1 rs2304678 C allele had higher risk to develop total colonic aganglionosis (TCA) in the allelic model (p = 7.04E-03; OR = 1.67, 95%CI = 1.15~2.43) and the dominant model (p = 4.12E-03; OR = 1.93, 95%CI = 1.23~3.04). DOK6 rs12968648 and ABHD1 rs2304678 had significant intergenic synergistic effect according to logical regression (p = 0.0081; OR = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.63~0.93) and multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR, p = 0.0045; OR = 1.25, 95%CI = 1.07~1.46). This study verified two susceptible variations of HSCR on ABHD1 and DOK6. Their roles in HSCR should be conducted in further studies.     

ERCC1 haplotypes modify bladder cancer risk: A case–control study

Bladder cancer risk is highly influenced by environmental and/or predisposing genetic factors. In the last decades growing evidence of the major role played by DNA repair systems in the developing of bladder cancer has been provided. To better investigate the involvement of DNA repair genes previously reported to be significantly associated with bladder cancer risk, we examined in a case–control study (456 cases and 376 hospital controls) 36 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 10 DNA repair genes, through a better gene coverage and a deep investigation of the haplotype role. A single SNP analysis showed a significantly increased risk given by XRCC1-rs915927 G allele (OR = 1.55, CI 95% 1.02–2.37 for dominant model) and a protective effect of the rare alleles of 3 ERCC1 SNPs: rs967591 (OR = 0.66, CI 95% 0.46–0.95), rs735482 (OR = 0.62, CI 95% 0.42–0.90) and rs2336219 (OR = 0.63, CI 95% 0.43–0.93). Haplotype analysis revealed that cases had a statistically significant excess of XRCC3-TAGT and ERCC1-GAT haplotypes, whereas ERCC1-AAC, MGMT-TA, XRCC1-TGCC and ERCC2-TGAA haplotypes were significantly underrepresented. Together with other published data on large case–control studies, our findings provide epidemiological evidence supporting a link between DNA repair gene variants and bladder cancer development, and suggest that the effects of high-order interactions should be taken into account as modulating factors affecting bladder cancer risk. A detailed characterization of DNA repair genetic variation is warranted and might ultimately help to identify multiple susceptibility variants that could be responsible for joint effects on the risk.     

Haplotype analysis of eight genes of the monoubiquitinated FANCD2–DNA damage–repair pathway in breast cancer patients

Background: Ten genes are associated with increased susceptibility to inherited breast cancer have also been associated with population breast cancer risk, and all are involved directly or indirectly in the monoubiquitinated FANCD2–DNA damage repair pathway. We analyzed 13 haplotype blocks in eight of these genes to estimate the breast cancer risk conferred by individual haplotypes. Methods: Haplotype blocks were constructed with 48 tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) identified in eight breast cancer susceptibility genes, TP53, PTEN, CHEK2, ATM, NBS1, RAD50, BRIP1, and PALB2. Genotyping was performed by SNPscan on 734 female patients and 672 female age-matched controls. Results: Forty-five tSNPs were successfully genotyped by SNPscan, and call rates for each tSNP were above 98.9%. Thirteen haplotype blocks of eight genes were constructed with 41 successfully genotyped tSNPs. We found that seven haplotypes from four haplotype blocks located within three genes (NBS1, PTEN, and BRIP1) were significantly associated with breast cancer risk. Among these, four haplotypes (ATC in block 1 of NBS1, GCCCC and GCCCT in block 2 of NBS1, and GCT in block 2 of BRIP1) were correlated with breast cancer risk in sporadic cases (OR (95% CI) 1.350(1.124–1.623), 0.752(0.584–0.969), 0.803(0.649–0.993), and 0.776(0.604–0.997), respectively), and only one haplotype (GGCCT in block 2 of NBS1) was significantly associated with breast cancer risk in familial and early-onset cases (OR(95% CI) 1.902(1.134–3.191)). Conclusions: Four haplotypes within two genes (NBS1 and BRIP1) involved in the monoubiquitinated FANCD2–DNA damage–repair pathway are significantly associated with increased sporadic breast cancer risk, while one haplotype within NBS1 is correlated with an increased risk of familial or early-onset breast cancer, indicating that specific haplotypes may be distinct predictors of breast cancer.     

Transforming growth factor-beta3 gene SfaN1 polymorphism in Korean nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate patients

The nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCL/P) is a congenital deformity of multifactorial origin with a relatively high incidence in the oriental population. Various etiologic candidate genes have been reported with conflicting results, according to race and analysis methods. Recently, the ablation of the TGF-beta3 gene function induced cleft palates in experimental animals. Also, polymorphisms in the TGF-beta3 gene have been studied in different races; however, they have not been studied in Koreans. A novel A --> G single nucleotide polymorphism (defined by the endonuclease SfaN1) was identified in intron 5 of TGF-beta3 (IVS5+104 A > G). It resulted in different genotypes, AA, AG, and GG. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the SfaN1 polymorphism in TGF-beta3 and the risk of NSCL/P in the Korean population. The population of this study consisted of 28 NSCL/P patients and 41 healthy controls. The distribution of the SfaN1 genotypes was different between the cases and controls. The frequency of the G allele was significantly associated with the increased risk of NSCL/P [odds ratio (OR) = 15.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 6.3-41.0]. The risk for the disease increased as the G allele numbers increased (GA genotype: OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 0.38-11.68; GG genotype: OR = 110.2, 95% CI = 10.67 - 2783.29) in NSCL/P. A stratified study in patients revealed that the SfaN1 site IVS5+104A > G substitution was strongly associated with an increased risk of NSCL/P in males (p < 0.001), but not in females. In conclusion, the polymorphism of the SfaN1 site in TGF-beta3 was significantly different between the NSCL/P patients and the control. This may be a good screening marker for NSCL/P patients among Koreans.     

A genetic variant in LINGO2 contributes to the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus in a Chinese population

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) showed that three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs10968576, rs1412239, and rs824248) in the leucine-rich repeat and Ig domain containing 2 (LINGO2) were associated with obesity or type 2 diabetes (T2D). We aimed to determine the influence of the LINGO2 variants on the gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk. Thus, we performed a case–control study including 964 GDM cases and 1,021 controls to test the associations between the three LINGO2 variants (rs10968576, rs1412239, and rs824248) and susceptibility to GDM. Logistic regression analyses showed no significant association between LINGO2 variations (rs10968576 and rs1412239) and GDM susceptibility, but we observed that LINGO2 rs824248 A > T was significantly associated with an increased risk of GDM using the dominant model (TT/AT vs. AA: adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05–1.51; p = 0.012) and the additive model (TT vs. AT vs. AA: adjusted OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.03–1.31; p = 0.016). In the additive model, a stronger risk effect of rs824248 was observed among obese women (prepregnancy body mass index [BMI] > 22 kg/m², adjusted OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.12–1.59) compared with that in lean women (prepregnancy BMI ≤ 22 kg/m², adjusted OR = 1.0², 95% CI = 0.86–1.21; p = 0.029 for heterogeneity test). Further interactive analyses also detected a significant multiplicative interaction between rs824248 and prepregnancy BMI for the risk of GDM (p = 0.041). These findings indicate that LINGO2 rs824248 may serve as a susceptibility marker for GDM in Chinese females.     

Associations between XRCC1 and ERCC2 polymorphisms and DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocyte among coke oven workers

A wide variety of base damages and single-strand breaks formed by reactive oxygen species during metabolic activation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been recognized to be involved in PAH carcinogenesis. In this study, alkaline comet assay was used to detect the DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes among 143 coke-oven workers and 50 non-coke-oven workers, and the effects of genetic polymorphisms of XRCC1 and ERCC2 genes on DNA damage were evaluated. The olive tail moment was significantly higher in coke-oven workers than in non-coke-oven workers (2.6, 95% CI=2.1–3.3 versus 1.0, 95% CI=0.8–1.2, p<0.01), and significant correlation between ln-transformed urinary 1-OHP and ln-transformed olive tail moment was found in total population (n=193, Pearson's r=0.393, p<0.001) and in coke-oven workers (n=143, Pearson's r=0.224, p=0.007). The olive tail moment was significantly higher in coke-oven workers with GA genotype of G27466A polymorphism of XRCC1 than those with GG genotype (4.6, 95% CI=2.5–8.7 versus 2.4, 95% CI=1.9–2.9, p<0.01 with adjustment for covariates). No significant associations between C26304T, G28152A and G36189A polymorphisms of XRCC1 and G23591A and A35931C polymorphisms of ERCC2 and olive tail moment were found in both groups. The study showed that the alkaline comet assay is a suitable biomarker in the detection of DNA damage among coke-oven workers and it suggested that the A allele of G27466A polymorphism of XRCC1 may be associated with decreased DNA repair capacity toward PAH-induced base damage and strand breaks.     

CDKN2B-AS1 gene rs4977574 A/G polymorphism and coronary heart disease: A meta-analysis of 40,979 subjects

It has been implied that there is a possible relationship between cyclin-dependent protein kinase inhibitors antisense RNA 1 (CDKN2B-AS1) gene rs4977574 A/G polymorphism and coronary heart disease (CHD) susceptibility. However, as the research results are discrepant, no distinct consensus on this issue has been reached so far. In order to further elaborate the latent association of the CDKN2B-AS1 gene rs4977574 A/G polymorphism and CHD, this present meta-analysis was conducted. There were 40,979 subjects of 17 individual studies in the present meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to determine the association strength. Considering the significant heterogeneity among the individual studies, the random-effect models were used. In the current meta-analysis, a significant association between CDKN2B-AS1 gene rs4977574 A/G polymorphism and CHD was found under allelic (OR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.08–1.29, p = 4.83×10⁻⁴), recessive (OR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.11–1.67, p = 0.003), dominant (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.58–0.86, p = 6.26×10⁻⁴), heterozygous (OR:1.210, 95% CI: 1.076–1.360, p = 0.001), homozygous (OR: 1.394, 95% CI: 1.163–1.671, p = 3.31×10⁻⁴) and additive (OR: 1.180, 95% CI: 1.075–1.295, p = 4.83×10⁻⁴) genetic models. A more significant association between them was found in the Asian population than that in the whole population under these genetic models (p < 0.05). However, no significant association between them was found in the Caucasian population (p > 0.05). CDKN2B-AS1 gene rs4977574 A/G polymorphism was associated with CHD susceptibility, especially in the Asian population. G allele of CDKN2B-AS1 gene rs4977574 A/G polymorphism is the risk allele for CHD.     

Association between polymorphisms in AXIN1 gene and atrial septal defect

Abstract

Context: AXIN1 is a central component of Wnt signalling pathway which is essential for embryonic development.

Objective: To investigate whether polymorphisms of AXIN1 contribute to ASD susceptibility.

Materials and methods: Three tag SNPs (rs12921862, rs370681 and rs1805105) in AXIN1 were genotyped in 208 ASD patients and 302 healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in a Chinese population.

Results: Significantly increased ASD risk was observed to be associated with the A allele of rs12921862 (p?<?0.0001, OR?=?3.096, 95% CI?=?2.037–4.717). Increased ASD risk was observed to be associated with rs370681 in a codominant (p?=?0.043, OR?=?1.52, 95% CI?=?1.04–2.22) and overdominant model (p?=?0.016, OR?=?1.57, 95% CI?=?1.08–2.27).

Conclusion: rs12921862 and rs370681 may contribute to ASD susceptibility.     

Pooling analysis reveals that galectin-1 is a reliable prognostic biomarker in various cancers

Galectin-1 is reported to be upregulated in various human cancers. However, the relationship between galectin-1 expression and cancer prognosis has not been systematically assessed. In this study, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase to collect all relevant studies and a meta-analysis was performed. We found that increased galectin-1 expression was associated with tumor size (odds ratio [OR] = 1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06–2.89; p = 0.029), clinical stage (OR = 3.89; 95% CI: 2.40–6.31; p < 0.001), and poorer differentiation (OR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.14–1.69; p = 0.001), but not with age (OR = 1.07; 95% CI: 0.82–1.39; p = 0.597), sex (OR = 0.89; 95% CI: 0.74–1.07; p = 0.202), or lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.57; 95% CI: 0.98–6.78; p = 0.056). In addition, we found that high galectin-1 expression levels were associated with poor overall survival (HR = 2.12; 95% CI: 1.71–2.64; p < 0.001). The results were further validated using The Cancer Genome Atlas data set. Moreover, high galectin-1 expression was significantly associated with disease-free survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.60; 95% CI: 1.17–2.19; p = 0.003), progression-free survival (HR = 1.93; 95% CI: 1.65–2.25; p < 0.001), and cancer-specific survival (HR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.30–2.55; p < 0.001). Our meta-analysis demonstrated that galectin-1 might be a useful common biomarker for predicting prognosis in patients with cancer.     

Polymorphisms in the AKT1 and AKT2 genes and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma risk in an Eastern Chinese population

Ethnic Han Chinese are at high risk of developing oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Aberrant activation of the AKT signalling pathway is involved in many cancers, including ESCC. Some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes involved in this pathway may contribute to ESCC susceptibility. We selected five potentially functional SNPs in AKT1 (rs2494750, rs2494752 and rs10138277) and AKT2 (rs7254617 and rs2304186) genes and investigated their associations with ESCC risk in 1117 ESCC cases and 1096 controls in an Eastern Chinese population. None of individual SNPs exhibited an association with ESCC risk. However, the combined analysis of three AKT1 SNPs suggested that individuals carrying one of AKT1 variant genotypes had a decreased ESCC risk [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.42–0.87]. Further stratified analysis found that AKT1 rs2294750 SNP was associated with significantly decreased ESCC risk among women (adjusted OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.43–0.94) and non‐drinkers (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.64–0.99). Similar protective effects on women (adjusted OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.37–0.83) and non‐drinker (adjusted OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.60–0.94) were also observed for the combined genotypes of AKT1 SNPs. Consistently, logistic regression analysis indicated significant gene–gene interactions among three AKT1 SNPs (P < 0.015). A three‐AKT1 SNP haplotype (C‐A‐C) showed a significant association with a decreased ESCC risk (adjusted OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.52–0.94). Multifactor dimensionality reduction analysis confirmed a high‐order gene–environment interaction in ESCC risk. Overall, we found that three AKT1 SNPs might confer protection against ESCC risk; nevertheless, these effects may be dependent on other risk factors. Our results provided evidence of important gene–environment interplay in ESCC carcinogenesis.     

Polymorphisms in MSH2 gene and risk of gastric cancer, and interactions with lifestyle factors in a Chinese population

Background: Although polymorphisms in DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene MSH2 have been associated with risks of many cancers, little is known about their etiology role in gastric cancer (GC) and the potential interacting role with lifestyle factors known to damage DNA. Methods: A population-based study was conducted in 3 counties (Jintan, Taixing and Huaian) of Jiangsu Province, the high-risk areas of GC in China. We investigated the association of polymorphisms IVS12?6T>C and IVS10+12G>A in MSH2 gene with the risk of GC and the potential gene–lifestyle interaction. Results: The risk of GC was found to be associated with the IVS12?6C allele (CC vs TT, OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.17–4.71) and IVS10+12A allele (GA or AA vs GG, OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.14–2.21; and GA vs GG, OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.04–2.17). Stratified analysis indicated that an increased risk of GC also was observed in: suspected familial subjects carrying the IVS12?6T>C (OR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.27–2.66) or IVS10+12G>A (OR = 2.57, 95% CI: 1.53–4.10); or younger subjects carrying the IVS12?6T>C (OR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.24–3.91) or IVS10+12G>A (OR = 2.23, 95% CI: 1.20–4.33); or male subjects carrying the IVS10+12G>A (OR = 1.64; 95% CI: 1.10–2.54). Furthermore, the combined IVS12?6CC and IVS10+12AA genotypes also significantly increased the risk of GC (OR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.22–3.66). Statistically significant interactions were observed between: IVS10+12G>A and drinking, high pickled food or fried food intake (OR = 2.32; 95% CI: 1.43–3.78, OR = 2.55; 95% CI: 1.48–4.21 and OR = 2.88; 95% CI: 1.70–4.94, respectively); and IVS12?6T>C and high pickled food intake or fried food intake (OR = 2.65; 95% CI: 1.62–4.47 and OR = 2.48; 95% CI: 1.42–4.13, respectively). Conclusion: The IVS10+12G>A and IVS12?6T>C polymorphisms in MSH2 gene appear to be associated with risk of GC in this Chinese population. Risk for GC, stratified by related genotypes, was further modified by drinking, high pickled food or fried food intake. Larger prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.     

The 8-oxoguanine DNA N-glycosylase 1 (hOGG1) Ser326Cys variant affects the susceptibility to Graves' disease

Oxidative DNA damage, caused by either endogenous or exogenous sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS), has been linked several diseases including Graves' disease (GD). 7,8‐Dihydro‐8‐oxoguanine (8‐oxoG) is a major lesion produced by ROS and is considered a key biomarker of oxidative DNA damage. In humans, 8‐oxoG is mainly repaired by 8‐oxoguanine DNA N‐glycosylase‐1 (hOGG1), which is an essential component of the base excision repair (BER) pathway. The functional studies showed that hOGG1 Ser326Cys polymorphism is associated with the reduced DNA repair activity and increased risk for some oxidative stress‐related diseases. In this study, we firstly investigated hOGG1 Ser326Cys polymorphism in GD. According to our results, Cys/Cys genotype frequency in the GD patients (23.4%) was significantly higher than the controls (9.2%). Cys/Cys genotype had an 3.5‐fold [95% CI (confidence interval): 2.10–6.01, p < 0.001] the Cys allele had 1.83‐fold (95% CI: 1.43–2.34, p < 0.001) increase in the risk for developing GD. Our results suggest that Ser326Cys polymorphism of the hOGG1 gene is associated with GD risk. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.