Analysis of the Association between MDM4 rs4245739 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Breast Cancer Susceptibility.

BACKGROUND: MDM4 is a negative regulator of the p53 tumor suppression pathway. Recent studies have revealed that the rs4245739 A>C polymorphism of MDM4 in the 3-untranslated region makes it a miR-191 target site which leads to lower MDM4 expression. This study is aimed to detect if rs4245739 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the MDM4 gene influences the breast cancer development in Iranian-Azeri women. METHODS: Blood samples were taken from 260 healthy controls and 220 breast cancer women with ethnicity of Iranian-Azeri. Genotyping was done using Tetra-ARMS PCR. RESULTS: Alleles of MDM4 rs4245739 SNP had no significant different frequency between patients and controls (p > 0.05). Additionally, genotypes of MDM4 rs4245739 SNP did not increase or decrease breast cancer risk in patients when compared to healthy women. Also, there was no significant association between the alleles of MDM4 rs4245739 SNP and clinicopathological factors (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Considering the lack of association between MDM4 rs4245739 polymorphism and breast cancer, rs4245739 polymorphism of this gene seems to have no significant role in the pathophysiology of the disease.

Homozygosity for a rare beta 0-thalassemia mutation [frameshift codons 25/26 (+T)] causes beta-thalassemia intermedia in an Iranian family.

The severity of beta-thalassemia (beta-thal) is remarkable for its variability in different populations, even in different patients. We studied a family from Azerbaijan Province, Northwestern Iran, who had a rare beta(0)-thal mutation, namely the frameshift codons (FSC) 25/26 (+T), originally reported in Tunisia. Unlike the Tunisian family, in our family the mutation was a beta(0) type and the affected members were dependent and independent of blood transfusions. This mutation was linked to the -158 (C>T) polymorphism on the (G)gamma-globin gene (XmnI marker) and two other polymorphisms in the (A)gamma-globin promoter at position +25 (G>A) and -588 (G>A). Deletions in the alpha- and beta-globin gene clusters were excluded in all samples. This is the first description of the FSC 25/26 mutation in Iran. The results of this study emphasize the complexity of genetic interactions that underlie the phenotype of beta-thal intermedia and highlight the importance of the regulation of hemoglobin (Hb) F production in the beta-thal syndromes. Simultaneous inheritance of some loci that interfere with the elevation of Hb F probably caused them to have high levels of total Hb and to be transfusion independent.