Case Report: Characterization of known (c.607G>C) and novel (c.416C>G) ELANE mutations in two Mexican families with congenital neutropenia.

The most common causes of congenital neutropenia are mutations in the ELANE (Elastase, Neutrophil Expressed) gene (19p13.3), mostly in exon 5 and the distal portion of exon 4, which result in different clinical phenotypes of neutropenia. Here, we report two pathogenic mutations in ELANE, namely, c.607G>C (p.Gly203Arg) and a novel variant c.416C>G (p.Pro139Arg), found in two Mexican families ascertained via patients with congenital neutropenia who responded positively to the granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) treatment. These findings highlight the usefulness of identifying variants in patients with inborn errors of immunity for early clinical management and the need to rule out mosaicism in noncarrier parents with more than one case in the family.

HLA-G 14 bp Ins/Del (rs66554220) Variant Is Not Associated with Breast Cancer in Women from Western Mexico.

HLA-G is a physiology and pathologic immunomodulator detrimentally related to cancer. Its gene is heavily transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally regulated by variants located in regulator regions like 3'UTR, being the most studied Ins/Del of 14-bp (rs66554220), which is known to influence the effects of endogen cell factors; nevertheless, the reports are discrepant and controversial. Herein, the relationship of the 14-bp Ins/Del variant (rs66554220) with breast cancer (BC) and its clinical characteristics were analyzed in 182 women with non-familial BC and 221 disease-free women as a reference group. Both groups from western Mexico and sex-age-matched (sm-RG). The rs66554220 variant was amplified by SSP-PCR and the fragments were visualized in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The variant rs66554220 was not associated with BC in our population. However, we suggest the Ins allele as a possible risk factor for developing BC at clinical stage IV (OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 1.16-7.96, p = 0.01); nevertheless, given the small stratified sample size (n = 11, statistical power = 41%), this is inconclusive. In conclusion, the 14-bp Ins/Del (rs66554220) variant of HLA-G is not associated with BC in the Mexican population, but might be related to advanced breast tumors. Further studies are required.

Altered Expression of Survivin Variants S-2B and S-WT in Breast Cancer Is Related to Adipokine Expression.

Breast cancer (BCa) is one of the leading causes of death in women with these types of malignancies. Early detection is pivotal to improve prognosis and reduce mortality. Several proteins and genes have been proposed as biomarkers for cancer; however, further studies are required before a molecule is accepted as a definitive biomarker. This study was aimed at investigating the expression of survivin variants S-WT, S-2B, and S-ΔEx3, as well as adipokines LEP and ADIPOQ in breast cancer. Breast samples were obtained from patients with (n = 27) and without (n = 20) BCa, and relative gene expression was assessed by RT-qPCR. S-WT and S-2B showed a significant increase in BCa samples (p = 0.005 and p = 0.001, respectively) and in high-aggressiveness BCa (p = 0.026 and p = 0.037, respectively). Despite S-ΔEx3 expression remained globally unchanged, when dividing BCa samples according to the stage, this gene showed a significant tendency to increase towards more advanced stages, and the exact opposite effect was observed for LEP. Furthermore, LEP expression showed a negative correlation with S-2B (p = 0.005) and S-WT (p = 0.011), and in the same manner, ADIPOQ was negatively related with these two survivin variants (p = 0.001 and p = 0.005, respectively). Interestingly, S-ΔEx3 expression appears unaffected by LEP and ADIPOQ expressions. Our results highlight the importance of investigating specific variants of a given gene, as sequence variation may grant different correlation with other important structures and diseases.