Mutation Screening of BRCA Genes in 10 Iranian Males with Breast Cancer.

Male breast cancer is a rare disease with an increasing trend. Due to limited information especially about the genetic basis of the disease in Iran and the lower age of its onset, the disease requires more attention. The aim of this study was to screen the male patients with breast cancer for BRCA mutations as well as tissue markers of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER-2) and cytokeratin 5/6 (CK5/6). Ten Iranian males with breast cancer were selected regardless of their histologic subtypes, age and family history from patients referred to Mehrad, Day and Parsian hospitals in Tehran, Iran, during a two-year period. Paraffin blocks of the tumoral regions were tested for ER, PR, HER-2 and CK5/6 immunostaining. DNA extraction was carried out on the EDTA blood samples followed by Sanger sequencing. Immunohistochemistry results for ER, and PR were negative in 2 out of 10 patients, while the results of HER-2 and CK5/6 were negative in all the cases. A missense mutation in exon 18 of BRCA1 and a nonsense mutation in exon 25 of in BRCA2 were detected in one patient each. Both patients belonged to luminal A subtype. Despite the low number of patients in this study, it could be concluded that mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 occur in male breast cancer patients of luminal A subtype. The negative status of the tissue markers could not be used for the prediction of BRCA mutations.

Investigating the CFH Gene Polymorphisms as a Risk Factor for Age-related Macular Degeneration in an Iranian Population.

BACKGROUND: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex disorder which results in irreversible vision loss and progressive impairment of central vision. Disease susceptibility is influenced by multiple genetic and environmental factors. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the complement factor H gene are the most important genetic risk factors. We conducted a case-control study to investigate the association four SNPs (dbSNP ID: rs800292, rs1061170, rs2274700 and rs3753395) of CFH gene with AMD in the Iranian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recruited 100 AMD patients and 100 age- and sex-matched normal controls. Direct sequencing for three SNPs (rs800292, rs2274700 and rs3753395) and restriction fragment length polymorphism utilized for rs1061170. Allele and genotype frequencies of SNPs were calculated and tested for departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium using the Chi-square test. An allelic and genotypic association was compared by logistic regression analysis using the SNPassoc. RESULTS: According to our results, the frequencies of risk allele for all SNPs (G, G, A, and C alleles of rs800292, rs2274700, rs3753395 and rs1061170, respectively) were significantly higher in AMD patients (p value < 0.001). AMD individuals who had at least one copy of the C allele of rs1061170 had an increased risk of disease compared with cases with the T allele. Other studied polymorphisms showed the same association. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest the contribution of all four predicted CFH polymorphisms in AMD susceptibility among the Iranian population. This association with CFH may lead to early detection and new strategies for prevention and treatment of AMD.

Association of polymorphisms at LDLR locus with coronary artery disease independently from lipid profile.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of mortality in many parts of the world. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several genetic variants associated with CAD in Low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) locus. This study was evaluated the possible association of genetic markers at LDLR locus with CAD irrespective to lipid profile and as well as the association of these SNPs with severity of CAD in Iranian population. Sequencing of 2 exons in LDLR gene (Exon 2, 12) and part of intron 30 of SMARCA4 gene include rs1122608, was performed in 170 Iranian patients angiographically confirmed CAD and 104 healthy controls by direct sequencing. Sullivan's scoring system was used for determining the severity of CAD in cases. Our results showed that homozygote genotypes of rs1122608 (P<0.0001), rs4300767 (P<0.005) and rs10417578 (p<0.007) SNPs have strong protective effects on the CAD. In addition, we found that rs1122608 (GT or TT) was at higher risk of three vessel involvement compared to single vessels affecting (P=0.01).