Inferring gene network from candidate SNP association studies using a Bayesian graphical model: application to a breast cancer case-control study from ontario.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gene network analysis can be a very valuable approach for elucidating complex dependence between functional SNPs in a candidate genetic pathway and for assessing their association with a disease of interest. Even when the number of SNPs evaluated is relatively small (<20), the number of potential gene networks induced by the SNPs can be very large and the contingency tables representing their joint distribution very sparse. METHODS: In this paper, we propose a Bayesian model determination for gene network analysis using decomposable discrete graphical models combined with Reversible Jump Markov chain Monte Carlo. We show the application of this approach in a study of 13 SNPs in the DNA repair pathway and their association with breast cancer from a case-control study conducted in Ontario, Canada. RESULTS: The strength of associations among the SNPs and between the SNPs and the disease status is evaluated by computing the posterior probability of any pair of variables. The corresponding gene network is reconstructed by retaining pair-wise associations with the highest posterior probabilities. In our real data analysis, we found evidence for a particular association between one SNP in the gene POLL and the disease status and also several interesting patterns of association between the SNPs themselves. CONCLUSION: This general statistical framework could serve as a basis for prioritizing genes and SNPs that play a major role in breast cancer etiology and to better understand their complex interactions in a specific genetic pathway.

The role of genetic breast cancer susceptibility variants as prognostic factors.

Recent genome-wide association studies identified 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with breast cancer (BC) risk. We investigated these and 62 other SNPs for their prognostic relevance. Confirmed BC risk SNPs rs17468277 (CASP8), rs1982073 (TGFB1), rs2981582 (FGFR2), rs13281615 (8q24), rs3817198 (LSP1), rs889312 (MAP3K1), rs3803662 (TOX3), rs13387042 (2q35), rs4973768 (SLC4A7), rs6504950 (COX11) and rs10941679 (5p12) were genotyped for 25 853 BC patients with the available follow-up; 62 other SNPs, which have been suggested as BC risk SNPs by a GWAS or as candidate SNPs from individual studies, were genotyped for replication purposes in subsets of these patients. Cox proportional hazard models were used to test the association of these SNPs with overall survival (OS) and BC-specific survival (BCS). For the confirmed loci, we performed an accessory analysis of publicly available gene expression data and the prognosis in a different patient group. One of the 11 SNPs, rs3803662 (TOX3) and none of the 62 candidate/GWAS SNPs were associated with OS and/or BCS at P<0.01. The genotypic-specific survival for rs3803662 suggested a recessive mode of action [hazard ratio (HR) of rare homozygous carriers=1.21; 95% CI: 1.09-1.35, P=0.0002 and HR=1.29; 95% CI: 1.12-1.47, P=0.0003 for OS and BCS, respectively]. This association was seen similarly in all analyzed tumor subgroups defined by nodal status, tumor size, grade and estrogen receptor. Breast tumor expression of these genes was not associated with prognosis. With the exception of rs3803662 (TOX3), there was no evidence that any of the SNPs associated with BC susceptibility were associated with the BC survival. Survival may be influenced by a distinct set of germline variants from those influencing susceptibility.

Active cigarette smoking, variants in carcinogen metabolism genes and breast cancer risk among pre- and postmenopausal women in Ontario, Canada.

Cigarette smoking is strongly associated with various diseases including many cancers; however, evidence regarding breast cancer risk remains inconclusive with some studies reporting no association, and others an increased risk with long duration and early initiation of smoking. Genetic variation in carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes may modify these associations. Breast cancer cases were identified from the Ontario Cancer Registry (OCR) during 2003-2004 and population controls through random digit dialing methods. All subjects completed self-administered questionnaires. Subsequently, saliva samples were obtained from cases (N = 1,776) and controls (N = 1,839) for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for active smoking variables, and interactions were assessed between smoking and 36 carcinogen-metabolizing candidate gene variants. No statistically significant association was found between active smoking and breast cancer risk among all women nor when stratified by menopausal status; however, nonsignificant increased premenopausal breast cancer risk was observed among current smokers and women smoking before first pregnancy. Several statistically significant interactions were observed between smoking and genetic variants (CYP1A2 1548C>T, CYP1A1 3801T>C, CYP1B1 4326G>C, NAT1 c.-85-1014T>A, UGT1A7 W208R 622T>C, SOD2 c.47T>C, GSTT1 deletion). However, in analyses stratified by these genotypes, smoking ORs had wide confidence intervals (and with few exceptions included 1.0) making interpretations difficult. Active smoking was not associated with breast cancer risk, although several significant interactions were observed between smoking, carcinogen-metabolizing genetic variants, and breast cancer risk.

Secretome proteins as candidate biomarkers for aggressive thyroid carcinomas.

Using proteomics in tandem with bioinformatics, the secretomes of nonaggressive and aggressive thyroid carcinoma (TC) cell lines were analyzed to detect potential biomarkers for tumor aggressiveness. A panel of nine proteins, activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM/CD166), tyrosine-protein kinase receptor (AXL), amyloid beta A4 protein, amyloid-like protein 2, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K, phosphoglycerate kinase 1, pyruvate kinase isozyme M2, phosphatase 2A inhibitor (SET), and protein kinase C inhibitor protein 1 (14-3-3 zeta) was chosen to confirm their expression in TC patients' sera and tissues. Increased presurgical circulating levels of ALCAM were associated with aggressive tumors (p = 0.04) and presence of lymph node metastasis (p = 0.018). Increased serum AXL levels were associated with extrathyroidal extension (p = 0.027). Furthermore, differential expression of amyloid beta A4 protein, AXL, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K, phosphoglycerate kinase 1, pyruvate kinase muscle isozyme M2, and SET was observed in TC tissues compared to benign nodules. Decreased nuclear expression of AXL can detect malignancy with 90% specificity and 100% sensitivity (AUC = 0.995, p < 0.001). In conclusion, some of these proteins show potential for future development as serum and/or tissue-based biomarkers for TC and warrant further investigation in a large cohort of patients.

Common alleles at 6q25.1 and 1p11.2 are associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.

Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at 6q25.1, near the ESR1 gene, have been implicated in the susceptibility to breast cancer for Asian (rs2046210) and European women (rs9397435). A genome-wide association study in Europeans identified two further breast cancer susceptibility variants: rs11249433 at 1p11.2 and rs999737 in RAD51L1 at 14q24.1. Although previously identified breast cancer susceptibility variants have been shown to be associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, the involvement of these SNPs to breast cancer susceptibility in mutation carriers is currently unknown. To address this, we genotyped these SNPs in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers from 42 studies from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2. In the analysis of 14 123 BRCA1 and 8053 BRCA2 mutation carriers of European ancestry, the 6q25.1 SNPs (r(2) = 0.14) were independently associated with the risk of breast cancer for BRCA1 mutation carriers [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-1.23, P-trend = 4.5 × 10(-9) for rs2046210; HR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.18-1.40, P-trend = 1.3 × 10(-8) for rs9397435], but only rs9397435 was associated with the risk for BRCA2 carriers (HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.01-1.28, P-trend = 0.031). SNP rs11249433 (1p11.2) was associated with the risk of breast cancer for BRCA2 mutation carriers (HR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02-1.17, P-trend = 0.015), but was not associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1 mutation carriers (HR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.92-1.02, P-trend = 0.20). SNP rs999737 (RAD51L1) was not associated with breast cancer risk for either BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers (P-trend = 0.27 and 0.30, respectively). The identification of SNPs at 6q25.1 associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1 mutation carriers will lead to a better understanding of the biology of tumour development in these women.

Association between BRIP1 (BACH1) polymorphisms and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

Inconsistency of reported associations between the Pro919Ser polymorphism in the BRCA1 interacting protein 1 (BRIP1) gene and breast cancer prompted us to undertake a meta-analysis. Although investigated by fewer studies, we have also studied the risk associated with the two additional BRIP1 polymorphisms, C47G and G64A, and breast cancer riskWe conducted searches of the published literature in MEDLINE through PubMed up to October 2012. Individual data on 5,122 cases and 5,735 controls from eight published case-control studies were evaluated for the Pro919Ser polymorphism. Accordingly, C47G and G64A polymorphisms were studied in 1,539 cases and 1,183 controls, and 667 and 782, respectively.In the overall analysis, association was lacking between the Pro919Ser polymorphism and breast cancer risk (odds ratio [OR] 0.98-1.02), materially unchanged when confined to subjects of European ancestry (OR 0.96-1.03) or even in the high-powered studies (OR 0.97-1.03). In the menopausal subgroups, premenopausal women followed the null pattern (OR 0.94-0.98) for the Pro and Ser allele contrasts, but not for the Pro-Ser genotype comparison where significant increased risk was observed (OR 1.39, P = 0.002). The postmenopausal women (>50 years) exhibited a range of pooled effects from protection (OR 0.83, P = 0.11) in the Pro-Ser genotype to slightly increased risk (OR 1.12-1.16, P = 0.28-0.42) in the Pro and Ser allele comparisons. The G64A polymorphism effects were essentially null (OR 0.90-0.98), but C47G was found to confer non-significantly increased risk under all genetic models (OR 1.27-1.40).Upon conclusion, overall summary estimates imply no associations but suggest susceptibility among carriers of the C47G polymorphism and Pro-Ser genotype in premenopausal women. The premenopausal findings and variable outcomes in postmenopausal women require more studies for confirmation.

A meta-analysis of the C1420T polymorphism in cytosolic serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT1) among Caucasian colorectal cancer populations.

PURPOSE: Inconsistency of reported associations between the C1420T polymorphism in the cytosolic serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT1) gene and colorectal cancer (CRC) prompted us to undertake a meta-analysis. METHODS: We conducted searches of published literature in MEDLINE through PubMed up to April 2012. Individual data on 5,043 cases and 6,311 controls from 15 published case-control studies were evaluated. Meta-analyses were performed on the compiled dataset. RESULTS: In the overall analysis, association was lacking between the C1420T polymorphism and CRC risk (odds ratio [OR] 0.96-1.04, p = 0.47-0.77), materially unchanged when reanalyzed without the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium-deviating studies (OR 1.03-1.09, p = 0.22-0.55) or subjected to outlier treatment (OR 0.89-0.99, p = 0.10-0.8). In the ethnic subgroups, Europeans were susceptible (OR 1.11-1.17, p = 0.13-0.48) and Americans, slightly protected (OR 0.86-0.87, p = 0.49-0.61). The increased risk effects, however, became null following outlier treatment (OR 0.95-1.06). Test for interaction between decreased risk associations in the low-folate subgroup (OR 0.60-0.85, p = 0.009-0.03) with the susceptible effects in the high-folate category (OR 1.14-1.22, p = 0.19-0.32) was significant (p interaction = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Overall summary estimates imply no associations but suggest geography-specific effects of the SHMT1 polymorphism that render Europeans susceptible, but not Americans. Folate status appears to show an inverse association of this polymorphism with CRC.

Nonsense-mediated decay microarray analysis identifies mutations of EPHB2 in human prostate cancer.

The identification of tumor-suppressor genes in solid tumors by classical cancer genetics methods is difficult and slow. We combined nonsense-mediated RNA decay microarrays and array-based comparative genomic hybridization for the genome-wide identification of genes with biallelic inactivation involving nonsense mutations and loss of the wild-type allele. This approach enabled us to identify previously unknown mutations in the receptor tyrosine kinase gene EPHB2. The DU 145 prostate cancer cell line, originating from a brain metastasis, carries a truncating mutation of EPHB2 and a deletion of the remaining allele. Additional frameshift, splice site, missense and nonsense mutations are present in clinical prostate cancer samples. Transfection of DU 145 cells, which lack functional EphB2, with wild-type EPHB2 suppresses clonogenic growth. Taken together with studies indicating that EphB2 may have an essential role in cell migration and maintenance of normal tissue architecture, our findings suggest that mutational inactivation of EPHB2 may be important in the progression and metastasis of prostate cancer.

Passive cigarette smoke exposure during various periods of life, genetic variants, and breast cancer risk among never smokers.

The association between passive cigarette smoke exposure and breast cancer risk is inconclusive and may be modified by genotype. The authors investigated lifetime passive cigarette smoke exposures, 36 variants in 12 carcinogen-metabolizing genes, and breast cancer risk among Ontario, Canada, women who had never smoked (2003-2004). DNA (saliva) was available for 920 breast cancer cases and 960 controls. Detailed information about passive smoke exposure was collected for multiple age periods (childhood, teenage years, and adulthood) and environments (home, work, and social). Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by multivariable logistic regression, and statistical interactions were assessed using the likelihood ratio test. Among postmenopausal women, most associations between passive smoke and breast cancer risk were null, whereas among premenopausal women, nonsignificant positive associations were observed. Significant interactions were observed between certain types of passive smoke exposure and genetic variants in CYP2E1, NAT2, and UGT1A7. While these interactions were statistically significant, the magnitudes of the effect estimates were not consistent or easily interpretable, suggesting that they were perhaps due to chance. Although the results of this study were largely null, it is possible that premenopausal women exposed to passive smoke or carrying certain genetic variants may be at higher risk of breast cancer.

Racial and tissue-specific cancer risk associated with PARP1 (ADPRT) Val762Ala polymorphism: a meta-analysis.

The Val762Ala polymorphism poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase 1 (PARP1) gene [ADPRT (adenosine diphosphate ribosyltransferase) gene] affects enzymatic activity, which modulates cancer susceptibility among human populations. Individual data on 13,745 cases and 16,947 controls from 28 published case-control studies were re-evaluated. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated for ethnic group, cancer type, smoking joint effects and studies confined to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. We applied subgroup, sensitivity and outlier analyses as well as the Bonferroni correction for multiple testing. The results show strong evidence that the variant (C) allele confers significant increased risk in the Chinese (OR 1.20-1.44, P < 0.0001-0.002), exacerbated by smoking (OR 1.66-2.53, P < 0.0001) and joint interaction with XRCC1 Arg399Gln (OR 1.39, P < 0.0001) as well as adjustment for tumor type (gastric carcinoma ORs 1.39-2.01, P < 0.0001). These significant effects were unaltered following conservative correction for multiple tests. By contrast, this procedure erased the protective significance in Caucasians, but not in two American subgroups, (i) those in the brain tumor category (0.77-0.79, P < 0.0001) and (ii) smokers in the dominant model (OR 0.86, P < 0.0001). These differential findings between the two ethnicities maybe correlated with significantly (P < 0.0001) greater allele frequency of the variant allele (C) among the Chinese compared to Caucasians. Our racial and tissue-specific summary estimates imply consideration of the Val762Ala polymorphism as candidate gene marker for screening cancer patients' best suited for PARP inhibitor therapy.

Identification of germline alterations of the mad homology 2 domain of SMAD3 and SMAD4 from the Ontario site of the breast cancer family registry (CFR).

INTRODUCTION: A common feature of neoplastic cells is that mutations in SMADs can contribute to the loss of sensitivity to the anti-tumor effects of transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß). However, germline mutation analysis of SMAD3 and SMAD4, the principle substrates of the TGF-ß signaling pathway, has not yet been conducted in breast cancer. Thus, it is currently unknown whether germline SMAD3 and SMAD4 mutations are involved in breast cancer predisposition. METHODS: We performed mutation analysis of the highly conserved mad-homology 2 (MH2) domains for both genes in genomic DNA from 408 non-BRCA1/BRCA2 breast cancer cases and 710 population controls recruited by the Ontario site of the breast cancer family registry (CFR) using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) and direct DNA sequencing. The results were interpreted in several ways. First, we adapted nucleotide diversity analysis to quantitatively assess whether the frequency of alterations differ between the two genes. Next, in silico tools were used to predict variants' effect on domain function and mRNA splicing. Finally, 37 cases or controls harboring alterations were tested for aberrant splicing using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR statistical comparison of germline expressions by non-parametric Mann-Whitney test of independent samples. RESULTS: We identified 27 variants including 2 novel SMAD4 coding variants c.1350G > A (p.Gln450Gln), and c.1701A > G (p.Ile525Val). There were no inactivating mutations even though c.1350G > A was predicted to affect exonic splicing enhancers. However, several additional findings were of note: 1) nucleotide diversity estimate for SMAD3 but not SMAD4 indicated that coding variants of the MH2 domain were more infrequent than expected; 2) in breast cancer cases SMAD3 was significantly over-expressed relative to controls (P < 0.05) while the case harboring SMAD4 c.1350G > A was associated with elevated germline expression (> 5-fold); 3) separate analysis using tissue expression data showed statistically significant over-expression of SMAD3 and SMAD4 in breast carcinomas. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that inactivating germline alterations in SMAD3 and SMAD4 are rare, suggesting a limited role in driving tumorigenesis. Nevertheless, aberrant germline expressions of SMAD3 and SMAD4 may be more common in breast cancer than previously suspected and offer novel insight into their roles in predisposition and/or progression of breast cancer.

Contribution of large genomic BRCA1 alterations to early-onset breast cancer selected for family history and tumour morphology: a report from The Breast Cancer Family Registry.

INTRODUCTION: Selecting women affected with breast cancer who are most likely to carry a germline mutation in BRCA1 and applying the most appropriate test methodology remains challenging for cancer genetics services. We sought to test the value of selecting women for BRCA1 mutation testing on the basis of family history and/or breast tumour morphology criteria as well as the value of testing for large genomic alterations in BRCA1. METHODS: We studied women participating in the Breast Cancer Family Registry (BCFR), recruited via population-based sampling, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 40 years who had a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer (n = 187) and/or a first primary breast tumour with morphological features consistent with carrying a BRCA1 germline mutation (n = 133; 37 met both criteria). An additional 184 women diagnosed before the age of 40 years who had a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer and who were not known to carry a germline BRCA1 mutation were selected from among women who had been recruited into the BCFR from clinical genetics services. These 467 women had been screened for BRCA1 germline mutations, and we expanded this testing to include a screen for large genomic BRCA1 alterations using Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification. RESULTS: Twelve large genomic BRCA1 alterations were identified, including 10 (4%) of the 283 women selected from among the population-based sample. In total, 18 (12%), 18 (19%) and 16 (43%) BRCA1 mutations were identified in the population-based groups selected on the basis of family history only (n = 150), the group selected on the basis of tumour morphology only (n = 96) and meeting both criteria (n = 37), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Large genomic alterations accounted for 19% of all BRCA1 mutations identified. This study emphasises the value of combining information about family history, age at diagnosis and tumour morphology when selecting women for germline BRCA1 mutation testing as well as including a screen for large genomic alterations.

Association of tissue promoter methylation levels of APC, TGFß2, HOXD3 and RASSF1A with prostate cancer progression.

Aberrant promoter methylation is known to silence tumor-suppressor genes in prostate cancer (PCa). We correlated quantitative promoter methylation levels of APC, TGFß2 and RASSF1A in 219 radical prostatectomies diagnosed between 1998 and 2001 with clinicopathological follow-up data available including Gleason Pattern (GP), Gleason Score (GS) and pathological stage and explored their potential in predicting biochemical recurrence using univariate and multivariate analyses. We observed that the average methylation levels of APC increased significantly from GS ≤ 6 to GS7, and pT2 to pT3a, and that of TGFß2 increased from GS ≤ 6 to GS7, but not for RASSF1A. PCa samples were also stratified into high methylation (HM) and low methylation (LM) groups based on the PMR scores of all cases analyzed for each marker. The HM frequency of APC was greater in pT3a than pT2, and in GS ≥ 8 than GS ≤ 6. The HM frequency also increased significantly from GP3 to GP4 for APC, TGFß2 and RASSF1A. APC methylation level was a significant predictor of biochemical recurrence in univariate analysis (p-value = 0.028). Finally, we combined methylation data of these three genes with the previously reported novel methylation biomarker HOXD3. Quantitative methylation assessment of a multiplex panel of markers, consisting of APC, HOXD3 and TGFß2, outperforms any single marker for the prediction of biochemical recurrence (p-value = 0.017). Our study demonstrated that quantitative increase in promoter methylation levels of APC, HOXD3 and TGFß2 are associated with PCa progression.

Common variants in LSP1, 2q35 and 8q24 and breast cancer risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.

Genome-wide association studies of breast cancer have identified multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with increased breast cancer risks in the general population. In a previous study, we demonstrated that the minor alleles at three of these SNPs, in FGFR2, TNRC9 and MAP3K1, also confer increased risks of breast cancer for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers. Three additional SNPs rs3817198 at LSP1, rs13387042 at 2q35 and rs13281615 at 8q24 have since been reported to be associated with breast cancer in the general population, and in this study we evaluated their association with breast cancer risk in 9442 BRCA1 and 5665 BRCA2 mutation carriers from 33 study centres. The minor allele of rs3817198 was associated with increased breast cancer risk only for BRCA2 mutation carriers [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.07-1.25, P-trend = 2.8 x 10(-4)]. The best fit for the association of SNP rs13387042 at 2q35 with breast cancer risk was a dominant model for both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers (BRCA1: HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.04-1.25, P = 0.0047; BRCA2: HR = 1.18 95% CI: 1.04-1.33, P = 0.0079). SNP rs13281615 at 8q24 was not associated with breast cancer for either BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers, but the estimated association for BRCA2 mutation carriers (per-allele HR = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.98-1.14) was consistent with odds ratio estimates derived from population-based case-control studies. The LSP1 and 2q35 SNPs appear to interact multiplicatively on breast cancer risk for BRCA2 mutation carriers. There was no evidence that the associations vary by mutation type depending on whether the mutated protein is predicted to be stable or not.

Common breast cancer-predisposition alleles are associated with breast cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.

Germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 confer high risks of breast cancer. However, evidence suggests that these risks are modified by other genetic or environmental factors that cluster in families. A recent genome-wide association study has shown that common alleles at single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FGFR2 (rs2981582), TNRC9 (rs3803662), and MAP3K1 (rs889312) are associated with increased breast cancer risks in the general population. To investigate whether these loci are also associated with breast cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, we genotyped these SNPs in a sample of 10,358 mutation carriers from 23 studies. The minor alleles of SNP rs2981582 and rs889312 were each associated with increased breast cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers (per-allele hazard ratio [HR] = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.20-1.45, p(trend) = 1.7 x 10(-8) and HR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02-1.24, p(trend) = 0.02) but not in BRCA1 carriers. rs3803662 was associated with increased breast cancer risk in both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers (per-allele HR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.06-1.20, p(trend) = 5 x 10(-5) in BRCA1 and BRCA2 combined). These loci appear to interact multiplicatively on breast cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers. The differences in the effects of the FGFR2 and MAP3K1 SNPs between BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers point to differences in the biology of BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancer tumors and confirm the distinct nature of breast cancer in BRCA1 mutation carriers.

DNA methylation of HOXD3 as a marker of prostate cancer progression.

DNA methylation in gene promoters causes gene silencing and is a common event in cancer development and progression. The ability of aberrant methylation events to serve as diagnostic and prognostic markers is being appreciated for many cancers, including prostate cancer. Using quantitative MethyLight technology, we evaluated the relationship between HOXD3 methylation and clinicopathological parameters including biochemical recurrence, pathological stage, Gleason score (GS), and Gleason pattern in a series of 232 radical prostatectomies performed between 1998 and 2001. HOXD3 methylation was significantly greater in GS 7 cancers vs GS < or = 6 cancers (P-value <0.001) as well as pT3/pT4 vs pT2 cancers (P-value <0.001). The proportion of cases with high methylation in GS 7 vs < or = GS 6 and pT3/pT4 vs pT2 were also significantly different (P-values=0.002 and 0.005, respectively). There were also significant increases in methylation from Gleason pattern 2-3 and from pattern 3 to 4/5 (paired t-test P-values=0.01 and <0.001, respectively), whereas methylation from lymph node metastases was decreased when compared with matched tumor tissue (P-value=0.029). HOXD3 methylation was associated with biochemical recurrence in univariate analysis (P-value=0.043) and showed evidence for interaction with pathological stage as a predictor variable in Cox regression analysis (P-value=0.028). The results indicate that HOXD3 methylation distinguishes low-grade prostate cancers from intermediate and high-grade ones and may also have prognostic value when considered together with pathological stage.

Meta-analysis of two ERCC2 (XPD) polymorphisms, Asp312Asn and Lys751Gln, in breast cancer.

The excision repair cross-complementing group 2 gene (ERCC2) plays a key role in DNA repair. Several polymorphisms in the ERCC2 gene have been described, including the commonly occurring Lys751Gln and Asp312Asn polymorphisms. Studies investigating the association of these polymorphisms with breast cancer risk produced controversial results. To evaluate these associations presented in diverse populations, we have conducted a meta-analysis based on 40 studies from 33 publications in PubMed which included analyses of Lys751Gln (14,545 cases, 15,352 controls) and Asp312Asn polymorphisms (16,254 cases, 14,006 controls). Overall findings of both polymorphisms have implicated null effects (OR = 1.01-1.03) when the analyses were limited to the statistically powerful (≥80%) studies. Although modestly increased statistically significant breast cancer risk was detected in the underpowered studies (≤80%), removal of outliers resulted in null associations. Ethnic stratification showed non-significant and relatively null associations for both polymorphisms with breast cancer risk for the overall Caucasians as well as North American and the European sub-populations. Although statistically increased and decreased risks were observed for the homogenous populations of African-Americans (Lys751Gln, OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03-1.53, P = 0.03) and Asians (Asp312Asn, ORs: 0.53-0.55, P values: 0.02-0.03), respectively, this may be the result of small sample size. Analyses of the homogeneous adduct studies, with relatively large sample size, exhibited increased risk for Lys751Gln (OR 1.20, 95% CI (1.02-1.41), P = 0.03) and Asp312Asn (OR 1.17 95% CI 1.02-1.34, P = 0.03) under the dominant genetic model. In conclusion, our results suggest null associations of both polymorphisms in the overall and the Caucasian subgroups, although some effects can be suggested for relatively smaller minority studies. Increased risk effect was more visible when the adduct studies are considered, suggesting the role of these polymorphisms in the presence of exposure to DNA damaging agents.

Family-based association study of IGF1 microsatellites and height, weight, and body mass index.

Height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) are partly heritable, known to be associated with chronic diseases, and are linked to circulating insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) concentrations. IGF-I concentrations are also partly heritable and thus genetic variation at IGF1 could influence height, weight, BMI and the risk of developing chronic diseases. Our objective was to examine the association of genetic variation at IGF1 with height, weight and BMI using a sample of premenopausal women. A family-based study design was used to investigate the association of three IGF1 CA repeat variants at 5' (5'CA), intron 2 (In2CA) and 3' (3'CA) with these anthropometric measures. We analyzed the data for 827 families of different sizes and configurations, which included 1520 premenopausal women. Nominally significant associations (P

Association between IGF1 CA microsatellites and mammographic density, anthropometric measures, and circulating IGF-I levels in premenopausal Caucasian women.

BACKGROUND: Results from several studies indicate that mammographic density, a strong risk factor for breast cancer, is greater in premenopausal women with higher circulating IGF-I levels. Both mammographic density and circulating IGF-I levels appear to be partly heritable traits. We hypothesized that in premenopausal women, IGF1 variants are associated with circulating IGF-I concentration, which in turn influences variation in breast density. Therefore, we examined the association of IGF1 polymorphisms with circulating IGF-I levels and mammographic density. METHODS: Percentage density, amounts of dense and non-dense (fat) tissue, IGF-I levels, and BMI were measured in 163 premenopausal women. Three CA repeat polymorphisms were genotyped, one each at the 5' and 3' ends of IGF1 and one in intron 2. RESULTS: The number of 19 alleles at the 5' polymorphism was associated with lower circulating levels of IGF-I (P = 0.02), whereas the number of 185 alleles at the 3' polymorphism was associated with higher percentage density (P = 0.03) and a smaller amount of non-dense tissue (P = 0.02). The strength of the effect of the 185 allele at 3' on percentage density was greatly reduced and statistical significance lost when BMI was included in regression models. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest an association between the number of 185 alleles at 3' with percentage density. This association appears to be mediated by body composition and particularly body fat, as indicated by the association of 3' IGF1 genotype with non-dense (fat) tissue and the mediating effect of BMI on the association of 3' genotype with percentage density.

Family-based genetic association study of insulin-like growth factor I microsatellite markers and premenopausal breast cancer risk.

Several studies suggest that higher circulating insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) levels are associated with premenopausal breast cancer risk. Breast cancer risk and circulating IGF-I concentration appear to be partly heritable, thus genetic variation at IGF1 could influence IGF-I levels and breast cancer risk. We investigated the association of IGF1 CA repeat variants with premenopausal breast cancer risk using a family-based design. The study sample included 840 families from the Ontario Familial Breast Cancer Registry (OFBCR) and the Australian Breast Cancer Family Registry (ABCFR). Three CA repeat variants, at 5', 3', and in intron 2 were genotyped (5'CA, 3'CA, In2CA). We found several nominally significant associations. The 5'CA-21 allele (P = 0.03) and In2CA-212 allele (P = 0.04) were associated with lower risk, and the In2CA-216 allele with higher risk (P = 0.04) for the combined ABCFR-OFBCR. These associations were not significant after taking into account multiple comparisons. In2CA-216 was more strongly associated with risk when we used a recessive instead of an additive model (P = 0.01). 5'CA alleles of repeat length 18-20 were associated with higher risk (P = 0.02), and 5'CA alleles of >20 repeats were associated with lower risk (P = 0.01). These associations were significant in the OFBCR (In2CA-216 recessive, P = 0.02; 5'CA 18-20 and >20 allele grouping, P = 0.01) but not strongly supported by the ABCFR (In2CA-216 recessive, P = 0.14; 5'CA 18-20, P = 0.25; 5'CA >20, P = 0.20). The associations we found could be due to chance as many comparisons were made. Our results do not strongly support an association between these IGF1 variants and breast cancer risk.