Association analysis between HOTAIR RS1899663 single nucleotide polymorphism and clear cell renal cell carcinoma development in Ukrainian population.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: to study the association between rs1899663-polymorphic variant of HOTAIR gene and clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) development in Ukrainian population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: whole venous blood from 101 Ukrainians with CCRCC (42 females and 59 males) and 100 control subjects (34 females and 66 males) were enrolled in the study. DNA extraction was performed using GeneJET Whole Blood Genomic DNA Purification Mini Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA). Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (PCR-RFLP) was used for HOTAIR rs1899663 genotyping. The Statistical Package for Social Science software (SPSS, version 17.0, Chicago, IL, USA) was used for all calculations. RESULTS: Results: It was found the lack of association between HOTAIR rs1899663 single nucleotide polymorphism and CCRCC emergence as well as tumor metastasis property in dominant, recessive, over-dominant and additive crude models of inheritance, as well after the adjustment for age, sex, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Conclusions: No association was found between HOTAIR rs1899663-polymorphic variant and CCRCC development in Ukrainian population. Further studies with extended samples are required to validate these results.

ZNF768: controlling cellular senescence and proliferation with ten fingers.

We recently identified Zinc-finger protein 768 (ZNF768) as a novel transcription factor controlling cell fate decision downstream of Rat sarcoma virus (RAS). We showed that ZNF768 depletion impairs cell cycle progression and triggers cellular senescence, while its overexpression allows cells to bypass oncogene-induced senescence. Elevated ZNF768 levels is common in tumors, suggesting that ZNF768 may help to escape cellular senescence, sustain proliferation and promote malignant transformation. Here, we discuss these recent findings and highlight key questions emerging from our work.