Genetic variation in the tumor necrosis factor-alpha promoter region and in the stress protein hsp70-2: susceptibility and prognostic implications in breast carcinoma

Association analysis of genetic variants in the ghrelin and tumor necrosis factor α genes and the risk for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Kuwaitis

BACKGROUND:

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is the most common hematological malignancy in the world. Many etiologic factors have been implicated in the risk of developing NHL, including genetic susceptibility and obesity. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Ghrelin (GHRL), an anti-inflammatory hormone, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), an inflammatory cytokine, have been independently associated with the risk for obesity and NHL.

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the association between SNPs in GHRL and TNF-α and the risk for NHL and obesity in Kuwaitis.

METHODS:

We recruited 154 Kuwaiti NHL patients and 217 controls. Genotyping was performed for rs1629816 (GHRL promoter region), rs35684 (GHRL 3’ untranslated region), and rs1800629 (TNF-α promoter region). Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association of the investigated SNPs with NHL and the relationship between the selected SNPs with BMI in each group separately.

RESULTS:

We show that rs1629816 GG was associated with an increased risk for NHL in our sample (p= 0.0003, OR 1.82; CI: 1.31–2.54). None of the investigated SNPs were associated with obesity, nor was obesity found to be associated with the risk for NHL.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our study demonstrates an association between rs1629816, a SNP in the GHRL regulatory region, and NHL in Kuwaitis.

The protein-protein interaction network of intestinal gastric cancer patients reveals hub proteins with potential prognostic value

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer worldwide. According to the Lauren classification, gastric adenocarcinoma is divided into two subtypes: diffuse and intestinal. The development of intestinal gastric cancer (IGC) can take years and involves multiple factors.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the protein profile of tumor samples from patients with IGC in comparison with adjacent nontumor tissue samples.

METHODS

We used label-free nano-LC-MS/MS to identify proteins from the tissues samples. The results were analyzed using MetaCore™ software to access functional enrichment information. Protein-protein interactions (PPI) were predicted using STRING analysis. Hub proteins were determined using the Cytoscape plugin, CytoHubba. Survival analysis was performed using KM plotter. We identified 429 differentially expressed proteins whose pathways and processes were related to protein folding, apoptosis, and immune response.

RESULTS

The PPI network of these proteins showed enrichment modules related to the regulation of cell death, immune system, neutrophil degranulation, metabolism of RNA and chromatin DNA binding. From the PPI network, we identified 20 differentially expressed hub proteins, and assessed the prognostic value of the expression of genes that encode them. Among them, the expression of four hub genes was significantly associated with the overall survival of IGC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals important findings that affect IGC development based on specific biological alterations in IGC patients. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the pathogenesis of IGC patients is complex and involves different interconnected biological processes. These findings may be useful in research on new targets to develop novel therapies to improve the overall survival of patients with IGC.

Genetic polymorphism of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and tumor necrosis factor beta (TNF-β) genes and risk of oral pre-cancer and cancer in North Indian population

OBJECTIVE

There are inconclusive data connecting single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TNF-α (rs361525) and TNF-β (rs909253) to potential malignant oral disorder (PMOD) such as lichen planus and oral fibrosis. Here, we have investigated the risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma as well as oral pre-cancerous lesions in North Indian population with the polymorphism of the TNFα/ β genes.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total 500 patients with oral pre-cancer and OSCC and 500 healthy volunteers were genotypes for the TNF-α (-238) G/A (rs361525) and TNF-β (252) A/G (rs909253) gene polymorphism. Genotypes were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Genotype frequencies were evaluated by Chi-square test.

RESULTS

Compared to the GG genotype, the GA genotype of TNF-α (G238A) polymorphism (rs361525) has been found to significantly increase the risk of oral disease (OR = 1.99) and especially the risk of lichen planus and OSCC (OR = 2.805 and 5.790, respectively). Similarly, the risk of oral disease was also more in the heterozygote (AG) than the common allele homozygote (AA) of TNF-β (A252G) polymorphism (rs909253) (OR = 1.483).

CONCLUSION

We conclude that the SNPs rs361525 and rs909253 were significantly associated with oral pre-cancer and OSCC.

A Review of Cancer Genetics and Genomics Studies in Africa

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and is projected to overtake infectious disease as the leading cause of mortality in Africa within the next two decades. Cancer is a group of genomic diseases that presents with intra- and inter-population unique phenotypes, with Black populations having the burden of morbidity and mortality for most types. At large, the prevention and treatment of cancers have been propelled by the understanding of the genetic make-up of the disease of mostly non-African populations. By the same token, there is a wide knowledge gap in understanding the underlying genetic causes of, and genomic alterations associated with, cancer among black Africans. Accordingly, we performed a review of the literature to survey existing studies on cancer genetics/genomics and curated findings pertaining to publications across multiple cancer types conducted on African populations. We used PubMed MeSH terms to retrieve the relevant publications from 1990 to December 2019. The metadata of these publications were extracted using R text mining packages: RISmed and Pubmed.mineR. The data showed that only 0.329% of cancer publications globally were on Africa, and only 0.016% were on cancer genetics/genomics from Africa. Although the most prevalent cancers in Africa are cancers of the breast, cervix, uterus, and prostate, publications representing breast, colorectal, liver, and blood cancers were the most frequent in our review. The most frequently reported cancer genes were BRCA1, BRCA2, and TP53. Next, the genes reported in the reviewed publications’ abstracts were extracted and annotated into three gene ontology classes. Genes in the cellular component class were mostly associated with cell part and organelle part, while those in biological process and molecular function classes were mainly associated with cell process, biological regulation, and binding, and catalytic activity, respectively. Overall, this review highlights the paucity of research on cancer genomics on African populations, identified gaps, and discussed the need for concerted efforts to encourage more research on cancer genomics in Africa.

Polymorphisms in the Tumor Necrosis Factor Genes Are Associated with Breast Cancer in the Moroccan Population

Background: The multifunctional cytokines of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family have been found to be involved in the promotion of inflammatory responses, and to play critical roles in the pathogenesis of inflammatory, autoimmune, and malignant diseases. The aim of the present study was to assess the associations among the TNFα -238 G > A (rs361525), TNFα -308 G > A (rs1800629), and TNFβ +252 A>G (rs909253) polymorphisms, and the breast cancer (BC) susceptibility in the Moroccan population. Materials and Methods: We conducted a case-control study, including 492 participants made up of 264 pathologically confirmed BC subjects, and 228 healthy women as controls. The samples were genotyped by means of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses. Results: The TNFα -238 G > A and TNFα -308 G > A polymorphisms were significantly associated with increased risk of BC for the AA genotype, while, the AG genotype of TNFβ +252 A>G may offer a protective effect in this population. Haplotypic analyses showed that the GAA and AAG haplotypes increased the risk significantly for BC. Moreover, a significant association was observed between polymorphisms at the TNFα -238 A>G locus and the clinical profiles of the patients with regard to their estrogen-and progesterone-positive receptor status. Conclusion: These findings indicate that TNF gene polymorphisms are linked with the risk of BC in the Moroccan population. Further studies implementing a larger sample size are needed to support our findings.

Genetic Polymorphism in TNF-α-308 G/A and TNF-β +252 A/G, as Prognostic Biomarker in Breast Cancer Patients among Indian Population

BACKGROUND

Cytokines are the key regulator molecules that modulate immune response. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF- α-308 G/A and TNF-β +252 A/G ) are inflammatory cytokine that control the progression of several types of cancer. They play a vital role in both tumor progression and destruction based on their concentrations. The role of TNF-α-308 G/A and TNF-β +252 A/G gene polymorphism in the etiology of breast cancer (BC) is not clearly understood. Therefore, present study investigates the association of TNF-α -308 G/A and TNF-β +252 A/G and the clinical features with Breast cancer patients.

METHODS

In a case- control study, we have investigated 150 breast cancer patients and 300 age and ethnically matched healthy controls for duration of 3 years from North India. Promoter polymorphisms of tumor necrosis factor gene (TNF-α -308 G/A and TNF-β +252 A/G) were genotyped using allele specific oligonucleotide polymerase chain reaction ASO and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The associations were evaluated by calculating the pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) using SPSS.

RESULTS

Patients with different clinico-pathological variables and healthy controls were analyzed. Significant association was observed in A allele of TNF-α -308 G/A in breast cancer patients as compared to healthy controls (p<0.0001). However, no association was seen in TNF-β +252 A/G both at genotypic and allelic level. The GG genotype of TNF-β +252A/G is higher in grades III (p<0.01) patients.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that TNF-α-308G/A polymorphism showed significant association with breast cancer patients.

Association of HLA-G 3'UTR 14-bp Ins/Del polymorphism with breast cancer among South Indian women

AIM

Human leucocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) are potent immune mediators implicated in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. The polymorphisms in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of HLA-G and promoter region of TNF-α are well known to influence their expression levels and may consequently contribute to varied disease predisposition. Therefore, in the present study, we explored the effect of HLA-G 3'UTR (14-bp Ins/Del and +3142 C/G) and TNF-α promoter (-238 G/A and -308 G/A) polymorphisms on breast cancer risk among South Indian women.

METHODS

A total of 342 women (100 patients with breast cancer, 142 patients with benign breast disorder and 100 healthy women volunteers) were enrolled for this study. Genotyping of HLA-G and TNF-α polymorphisms were performed by direct PCR DNA amplification and amplification refractory mutation system PCR methods, respectively.

RESULTS

Significantly higher frequencies of HLA-G 14-bp Ins allele and Ins/+3142G haplotype were observed in patients with breast cancer than healthy controls (OR=1.56, P_c=0.036) and patients with benign breast disorder (OR=1.47, P_c=0.046). Similarly, subgroup analysis based on age at diagnosis (age≤50 years and >50 years) of breast cancer revealed higher frequencies of 14-bp Ins allele and Ins/+3142G haplotype in the patients of age >50 years than healthy controls (OR=1.77, P_c=0.03). Additionally, the extended haplotypes and multifactor dimensionality reduction analysis of the studied polymorphisms revealed significant contribution of HLA-G 14-bp Ins/Del polymorphism towards breast cancer risk.

CONCLUSION

The findings of the present study suggest that the HLA-G 14-bp Ins/Del polymorphism could influence breast cancer pathogenesis among South Indian women.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha-308 gene promoter polymorphism associates with survival of cancer patients: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is involved in cancer pathogenesis, and TNF-α-308G>A, a single-nucleotide polymorphism, is associated with cancer prognosis; however, different studies have reported inconsistent results. This meta-analysis aimed to determine the correlation between TNF-α-308G>A polymorphism and the survival of cancer patients.

METHODS

PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Wanfang database, VIP database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure database were used to obtain articles on association between TNF-α-308G>A polymorphism and cancer survival, published until April 2018. A meta-analysis was carried out using Stata 12.0 software to determine the pooled hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Furthermore, publication bias was assessed, and sensitivity analysis was performed to validate the analysis.

RESULTS

In total, 13 retrospective cohort studies including 2559 cancer patients were reviewed to estimate the association between TNF-α-308G>A polymorphism and overall survival (OS) of cancer patients. The pooled results suggested that within TNF-α-308G>A polymorphism, genotypes GA+AA/GG (HR = 1.39, 95% CI: 0.90-2.14, P < .001, I = 78.1%), GA/GG (HR = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.83-1.36, P = .072, I = 53.5%), and AA/AG+GG (HR = 3.28, 95% CI: 0.92-11.72, P = .001, I = 85.9%) were not associated with the OS of cancer patients. However, interestingly, the HR was greater for patients with the AA genotype than for those with the GG genotype, suggesting an association between TNF-α-308G>A polymorphism and OS among cancer patients (AA/GG, HR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.36-3.43, P = .281, I = 21.5%).

CONCLUSION

TNF-α-308G>A polymorphism affects the OS of cancer patients and is a potential therapeutic target for cancer.

Significant association between IL10-1082/-819 and TNF-308 haplotypes and the susceptibility to cervical carcinogenesis in women infected by Human papillomavirus

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for high-grade cervical lesions and cervical cancer. The inflammation plays a key role in cervical cancer progression. In this context, studies propose an association between TNFα and IL10 SNPs and susceptibility to HPV infection. The present work aimed to investigate the possible association between IL10 and TNFα promoter polymorphisms and HPV infection in the cervical carcinogenesis risk in women from Brazil. A total of 654 samples was evaluated in this study. HPV detection was performed by PCR and HPV genotyping was performed by PCR and sequencing of positive MY09/11 PCR product. Genotyping of IL10 SNPs (rs1800871 and rs1800896) was performed by High Resolution Melt analysis. Genotyping of TNFα SNP (rs1800629) was performed by fluorogenic allele-specific probes. The distribution of TNF-308 (rs1800629) allelic (p = 0.03) and genotype (p = 0.03) frequencies and HPV-58 infection has showed a statistically significant difference between case and control groups for the assessed TNFα polymorphism. When it comes to TNFα (rs1800629) allelic and genotypic distribution and HPVs 18 and 31 infections, no statistically significant differences between case and control groups were observed for the studied TNFα polymorphism. The allelic and genotypic distribution of IL10-819 (rs1800871) and IL10-1082 (rs1800896) and HPV infection (HPVs 58, 18 and 31) has showed no statistically significant differences between case and control groups for the assessed IL10 polymorphisms. Furthermore, it was observed that haplotypes were associated with an increased cervical cancer risk in HPVs 16, 18 and 58-positive women. It was observed that women carrying the GTA and ATG haplotypes had 3.85 and 17.99-fold, respectively, increased cervical cancer susceptibility when infected by HPV-58. In women infected with HPV-16 and HPV-18, statistically significant results in women carrying the GTA and ATA haplotypes was observed. They had a 2.32 and 3.67-fold, respectively, increased cervical cancer susceptibility when infected by these two HPV types. The analysis of the haplotypes distribution in women infected with HPV-31 has showed no statistically significant results. Our study indicates that the association of genetic polymorphism in inflammation-related genes represents a risk to the susceptibility in the development of cervical cancer in women infected by HPVs 16, 18 and 58.

Genetic variation in TNFα, PPARγ, and IRS-1 genes, and their association with breast-cancer survival in the HEAL cohort

PURPOSE

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), and insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) are associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation. Few data exist on associations between polymorphisms in these genes and mortality in breast cancer survivors.

METHODS

We investigated associations between TNF-α ^-308G > A (rs1800629); PPARγ Pro¹²Ala (rs1801282); and IRS-1 Gly⁹⁷²Arg (rs1801278) polymorphisms and anthropometric variables, circulating levels of previously measured biomarkers, and tumor characteristics in 553 women enrolled in the Health, Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle Study, a multiethnic, prospective cohort study of women diagnosed with stage I-IIIA breast cancer between 1995 and 1999 (median follow-up 14.7 years).  Using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for possible confounders, we evaluated associations between these polymorphisms and mortality.

RESULTS

Carriers of the PPARγ variant allele had statistically significantly lower rates of type 2 diabetes (P = 0.04), lower BMI (P = 0.01), and HOMA scores [P = 0.004; non-Hispanic White (NHWs) only]; carriers of the TNF-α variant A allele had higher serum glucose (P = 0.004, NHW only); and the IRS-1 variant was associated with higher leptin levels (P = 0.003, Hispanics only). There were no associations between any of the polymorphisms and tumor characteristics. Among 141 deaths, 62 were due to breast cancer. Carriers of the TNF-α-variant A allele had a decreased risk of breast-cancer-specific mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 0.30; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.10-0.83] and all-cause mortality (HR 0.51; 95% CI 0.28-0.91).

CONCLUSIONS

Neither the PPARγ nor the IRS-1 polymorphism was associated with mortality outcome. The TNF-α ^-308 G > A polymorphism was associated with reduced breast-cancer-specific and all-cause mortality.

Overexpressed HSPA2 correlates with tumor angiogenesis and unfavorable prognosis in pancreatic carcinoma

Heat shock-related 70-kDa protein 2 (HSPA2) is known to correlate with tumor development and progression. This work aimed to determine the expression and prognostic roles of HSPA2 in pancreatic carcinoma. Tumor and their corresponding non-tumor tissues were obtained from 80 patients with pancreatic carcinoma. HSPA2 expression in tumor and non-tumor tissues was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and CD31 in tumor tissues were also evaluated by immunostaining. The relationships of HSPA2 with clinicopathological data, tumor angiogenesis and prognosis were analyzed. The results showed that HSPA2 expression was significantly elevated in tumor tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues (P < 0.05). High HSPA2 expression was significantly associated with aggressive clinicopathological characteristics. HSPA2 staining was positively correlated with VEGF (r = 0.466, P < 0.001) and microvessel density (MVD) (r = 0.366, P = 0.001) in tumor tissues. Patients with high HSPA2 expression showed worse relapse-free survival (RFS) (P < 0.001) and overall survival (OS) (P < 0.001) than those with low HSPA2 expression. Multivariate analysis indicated that high HSPA2 expression was an independent predictor for poor RFS (P < 0.001) and OS (P = 0.001). Taken together, overexpressed HSPA2 is correlated with tumor angiogenesis and poor prognosis in pancreatic carcinoma. HSPA2 may play an important role in tumor progression, and serve as a potential biomarker for the prediction of adverse prognosis in pancreatic carcinoma.

Three polymorphisms of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and hepatitis B virus related hepatocellular carcinoma: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

To assess the association between tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) G308A, G238A and C863T polymorphisms and hepatitis B virus related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC) susceptibility.

METHODS

We interrogated the databases of Pubmed, Sciencedirect and Viley online library up to March 8, 2016. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated in a fixed-effects model or a random-effects model when appropriate.

RESULTS

In total, 12 case-control studies which containing 1580 HBV-HCC cases, 2033 HBV carrier controls, 395 HBV spontaneously recovered (SR) controls and 1116 healthy controls were included. Compared with GG genotype, the genotypes GA/AA of G308A were associated with a significantly increased HBV-HCC risk when the controls were all healthy individuals (AA vs. GG, OR 2.483, 95%CI 1.243 to 4.959; GA vs. GG, OR 1.383, 95%CI 1.028 to 1.860; GA/AA vs. GG, OR 1.381, 95%CI 1.048 to 1.820). Meanwhile, only the AA vs. GG model of G238A and HBV-HCC showed a statistic significance when the controls were healthy individuals (OR 4.776, 95%CI 1.280 to 17.819). CT genotype of TNF-α C863T could increase HBV-HCC risk whenever the controls were healthy individuals, HBV carriers or HBV recovers.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis shows that AA genotype in TNF-α G308A and TNF-α G238A and CT genotype in TNF-α C863T may increase HBV-HCC risk. Therefore, HBV infection seemed to be a more important factor for tumorigenesis of HCC than genetic predisposition in G308A of TNF-α, and interaction between TNF-α C863T polymorphisms and HBV infection might be associated with increased HCC risk.

E-cadherin genetic variants predict survival outcome in breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND

E-cadherin is a major component of adherens junctions that regulates cell shape and maintains tissue integrity. A complete loss or any decrease in cell surface expression of E-cadherin will interfere with the cell-to-cell junctions' strength and leads to cell detachment and escape from the primary tumor site. In this prospective study, three functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (-347G/GA, rs5030625; -160C/A, rs16260; +54C/T, rs1801026), were found to modulate E-cadherin expression.

METHODS

577 DNA samples from breast cancer (BC) cases were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).

RESULTS

We detected no significant correlations between each polymorphism and the clinical parameters of the patients whereas the GACC haplotype was significantly associated with low SBR grading. Overall survival analysis showed that both -347G/G and +54C/C wild (wt) genotypes had a significantly worse effect compared to the other genotypes (non-wt). Moreover, carrying simultaneously both the -347 and +54 wt genotypes confers a significantly higher risk of death. However, with metastatic recurrence, the death-rate was null in patients carrying the non-wt genotypes, and attained 37% in those carrying the wt genotype. A multivariate analysis showed that these two polymorphisms are independent prognostic factors for overall survival in BC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results support the fact that E-cadherin genetic variants control disease severity and progression and could be a marker of disease outcome. These findings could be useful in selecting patients that should be monitored differently.

Polymorphisms in Heat Shock Proteins A1B and A1L (HOM) as Risk Factors for Oesophageal Carcinoma in Northeast India

BACKGROUND

To investigate polymorphisms in heat shock proteins A1B and A1L (HOM) and associated risk of oesophageal carcinoma in Northeast India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study includes oesophageal cancer (ECA) patients attending general outpatient department (OPD) and endoscopic unit of Gauhati Medical College. Patients were diagnosed based on endoscopic and histopathological findings. Genomic DNA was typed for HSPA1B1267 and HSPA1L2437 SNPs using the polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphisms.

RESULTS

A total of 78 cases and 100 age-sex matched healthy controls were included in the study with a male: female ratio of 5:3 and a mean age of 61.4±8.5 years. Clinico-pathological evaluation showed 84% had squamous cell carcinoma and 16% were adenocarcinoma. Dysphagia grades 4 (43.5%) and 5 (37.1%) were observed by endoscopic and hispathological evaluation. The frequency of genomic variation of A1B from wild type A/A to heterozygous A/G and mutant G/G showed a positive association [chi sq=19.9, p= <0.05] and the allelic frequency also showed a significant correlation [chi sq=10.3, with cases vs. controls, OR=0.32, p≤0.05]. The genomic variation of A1L from wild T/T to heterozygous T/C and mutant C/C were found positively associated [chi sq= 7.02, p<0.05] with development of ECA. While analyzing the allelic frequency, there was no significant association [chi sq= 3.19, OR=0.49, p=0.07]. Among all the risk factors, betel quid [OR =9.79, Chi square= 35.0, p<0.05], tobacco [OR = 2.95, chi square=10.6, p<0.05], smoking [OR=3.23, chi square=10.1, p<0.05] demonstrated significant differences between consumers vs. non consumers regarding EC development. Alcohol did not show any significant association [OR= 1.34, chi square=0.69, p=0.4] independently.

CONCLUSIONS

It can be concluded that the present study provides marked evidence that polymorphisms of HSP70 A1B and HSP70 A1L genes are associated with the development of ECA in a population in Northeast India, A1B having a stronger influence. Betel quid consumption was found to be a highly significant risk factor, followed by smoking and tobacco chewing. Although alcohol was not a potent risk factor independently, alcohol consumption along with tobacco, smoking and betel nut was found to contribute to development of ECA.

Tumour Necrosis Factor-α Gene Polymorphism Is Associated with Metastasis in Patients with Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is critical in the regulation of inflammation and tumour progression. TNF-α-308G > A is associated with constitutively elevated TNF-α expression. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between TNF-α-308G > A and breast cancer (BC) risk by subtype and the connection between genotypes and clinical features of BC. A total of 768 patients and 565 controls were enrolled in this study, and genotypes were detected using the TaqMan assay. No effect on susceptibility for any BC subtype was found for the TNF-α-308 polymorphism in our study or in the pooled meta-analysis. This polymorphism was shown to be associated with age at menarche in all BC and in progesterone receptor-negative BC. Interestingly, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients with TNF-α-308A had an increased risk of distant tumour metastasis (OR = 3.80, 95% CI: 1.31-11.02, P = 0.009). Multi-regression analysis showed that TNF-α-308A was also a risk factor for distant tumour metastasis after adjustment for tumour size and lymph node metastasis status (OR = 6.26, 95% CI: 1.88-20.87, P = 0.003). These findings indicate that TNF-α might play a distinct role in the progression of TNBC, especially in distant tumour metastasis of TNBC.

The prognostic value of IL10 and TNF alpha functional polymorphisms in premenopausal early-stage breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Interleukin-10 and tumor necrosis factor α play an important role in breast carcinogenesis. Genes, encoding those two cytokines, contain single nucleotide polymorphisms, which are associated with differential levels of gene transcription. This study analyzes single nucleotide polymorphisms in interleukin 10 and tumor necrosis factor α genes and their contribution to breast cancer phenotype, lymph node status and survival in a group of young Lithuanian women with early-stage breast cancer patients.

RESULTS

We genotyped 100 premenopausal Eastern European (Lithuanian) patients with stage I-II breast cancer, ≤ 50 years old at the time of diagnosis, for interleukin 10 -592A > C, -819C > T and -1082A > G and tumor necrosis factor α -308G > A single nucleotide polymorphisms in the gene promoter region. We used the polymerase chain reaction, namely a restriction fragment length polymorphism method, for a SNP analysis. All genotypes were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and had the same distribution as the HapMap CEU population. Holders of IL10 -592A > C heterozygous IL10 -592 AC genotype had a higher probability of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer phenotype than homozygous variants (P = 0.017). Phased ACC haplotype of IL10 polymorphisms was associated with younger age of diagnosis (P = 0.017). Of all the tested single nucleotide polymorphisms, only TNFα -308G > A has revealed a prognostic capability for breast cancer survival. GA genotype carriers, compared to GG, showed a significant disadvantage in progression-free survival (P = 0.005, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 4.631, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.587 - 13.512), metastasis-free survival (P = 0.010, HR = 4.708, 95 % CI = 1.445 - 15.345) and overall survival (P = 0.037, HR = 4.829, 95 % CI = 1.098 - 21.243).

CONCLUSIONS

According to our data, IL10 -1082A > G, -819 T > C, -592A > C polymorphisms and phased haplotypes have not revealed a prognostic value for breast cancer. On the contrary, the TNFα -308 polymorphism might modulate the risk and contribute to the identification of patients at a higher risk of breast cancer recurrence, metastasis and worse overall survival among young Lithuanian early-stage breast cancer patients.

Association between the HSPA1B ±1267A/G polymorphism and cancer risk: a meta-analysis of 14 case-control studies

BACKGROUND

Previous epidemiological studies have suggested a potential role of the HSPA1B±1267A/G polymorphism in risk of developing cancer. However, the results were inconsistent. Therefore, we performed this meta-analysis to summarize the possible association with cancer risk.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrieved relevant articles from PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure. Studies were selected using specific criteria. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess those associations. All analyses were performed using STATA software.

RESULTS

Fourteen case-control studies, including 1, 834 cancer cases and 2, 028 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, the results indicated that the G allele of HSPA1B gene ±1267A/G was significantly associated with an increased cancer risk in all genetic models (G vs A: OR=1.51, 95%CI 1.17-1.95, p=0.001; GG vs AA: OR=2.93, 95%CI 1.50-5.74, p=0.002; AG vs AA: OR=1.48, 95%CI 1.10-1.98, p=0.009; GG/AG vs AA: OR=1.69, 95%CI 1.22-2.33, p=0.001; GG vs

AG/AA

OR=2.31, 95%CI 1.24-4.32, p=0.009). In the subgroup analysis stratified by ethnicity, a significant association was identified in Caucasians (G vs A: OR=1.35, 95%CI 1.08-1.69, p=0.008; GG/AG vs AA: OR=1.36, 95%CI 1.09-1.70, p=0.007), but not in Asians. In the stratified analysis by cancer types, individuals with the G allele showed an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma compared with carriers of the A allele (OR=2.40, 95%CI 1.47-3.91, p< 0.001). Inversely, individuals with the GG genotype showed a decreased risk of gastric cancer compared with carriers of the AG/GG genotypes (GG vs

AG/AA

OR=0.39, 95%CI 0.20-0.70, p=0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis suggests associations between the HSPA1B ±1267A/G polymorphism and risk of cancer. However, this association might be Caucasian-specific and the G allele of this polymorphism probably increases risk of hepatocellular carcinoma while decreasing risk of gastric cancer. Further well-designed studies based on larger sample sizes are needed to validate these findings.

The tumor necrosis factor-α-238 polymorphism and digestive system cancer risk: a meta-analysis

Many studies have reported the association between tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-238 polymorphism and digestive system cancer susceptibility, but the results were inconclusive. We performed a meta-analysis to derive a more precise estimation of the relationship between TNF-α-238 G/A polymorphism and digestive system cancer risk. Pooled analysis for the TNF-α-238 G/A polymorphism contained 26 studies with a total of 4849 cases and 8567 controls. The meta-analysis observed a significant association between TNF-α-238 G/A polymorphism and digestive system cancer risk in the overall population (GA vs GG: OR 1.19, 95 % CI 1.00-1.40, P heterpgeneity = 0.016; A vs G: OR 1.19, 95 % CI 1.03-1.39, P heterpgeneity = 0.015; dominant model: OR 1.20, 95 % CI 1.02-1.41, P heterpgeneity = 0.012). In the analysis of the ethnic subgroups, however, similar results were observed only in the Asian population, but not in the Caucasian population. Therefore, this meta-analysis suggests that TNF-α-238 G/A polymorphism is associated with a significantly increased risk of digestive system cancer. Further large and well-designed studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Regulation of the inflammatory profile of stromal cells in human breast cancer: prominent roles for TNF-α and the NF-κB pathway

Introduction

Breast cancer progression is promoted by stromal cells that populate the tumors, including cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs). The activities of CAFs and MSCs in breast cancer are integrated within an intimate inflammatory tumor microenvironment (TME) that includes high levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β). Here, we identified the impact of TNF-α and IL-1β on the inflammatory phenotype of CAFs and MSCs by determining the expression of inflammatory chemokines that are well-characterized as pro-tumorigenic in breast cancer: CCL2 (MCP-1), CXCL8 (IL-8) and CCL5 (RANTES).

Methods

Chemokine expression was determined in breast cancer patient-derived CAFs by ELISA and in patient biopsies by immunohistochemistry. Chemokine levels were determined by ELISA in (1) human bone marrow-derived MSCs stimulated by tumor conditioned media (Tumor CM) of breast tumor cells (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) at the end of MSC-to-CAF-conversion process; (2) Tumor CM-derived CAFs, patient CAFs and MSCs stimulated by TNF-α (and IL-1β). The roles of AP-1 and NF-κB in chemokine secretion were analyzed by Western blotting and by siRNAs to c-Jun and p65, respectively. Migration of monocytic cells was determined in modified Boyden chambers.

Results

TNF-α (and IL-1β) induced the release of CCL2, CXCL8 and CCL5 by MSCs and CAFs generated by prolonged stimulation of MSCs with Tumor CM of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells. Patient-derived CAFs expressed CCL2 and CXCL8, and secreted CCL5 following TNF-α (and IL-1β) stimulation. CCL2 was expressed in CAFs residing in proximity to breast tumor cells in biopsies of patients diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. CCL2 release by TNF-α-stimulated MSCs was mediated by TNF-RI and TNF-RII, through the NF-κB but not via the AP-1 pathway. Exposure of MSCs to TNF-α led to potent CCL2-induced migration of monocytic cells, a process that may yield pro-cancerous myeloid infiltrates in breast tumors.

Conclusions

Our novel results emphasize the important roles of inflammation-stroma interactions in breast cancer, and suggest that NF-κB may be a potential target for inhibition in tumor-adjacent stromal cells, enabling improved tumor control in inflammation-driven malignancies.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13287-015-0080-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Association between the tumor necrosis factor alpha gene -308G> A polymorphism and the risk of breast cancer: a meta-analysis

The multifunctional cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) plays an important role in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, lipid metabolism, and endothelial function. To date, many studies have evaluated the association between the TNF-α -308G> A polymorphism and breast cancer risk; however, the results remain ambiguous and inconclusive. To derive a more precise estimation of the association and assess its strength, we carried out a meta-analysis of 20 published case-control studies with 12,360 cases and 15,110 controls using crude odd ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). Overall, no significant associations were found for all genetic models (allele model OR = 1.06, 95 % CI 0.90-1.24, P heterogeneity < 0.001; homozygous model OR = 1.25, 95 % CI 0.85-1.82, P heterogeneity < 0.001; recessive model OR = 1.26, 95 % CI 0.88-1.82, P heterogeneity = 0.001; dominant model OR = 1.00, 95 % CI 0.85-1.18, P heterogeneity < 0.001). Moreover, no significant associations were observed when stratified by ethnicity, control source, genotyping method, or Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium status. However, in the menopausal status subgroup, significantly decreased breast cancer risks were found among postmenopausal women (allele model OR = 0.90, 95 % CI 0.83-0.98; dominant model OR = 0.89, 95 % CI 0.81-0.98), while the TNF-α -308 AA genotype was a breast cancer risk factor in premenopausal women (homozygous model OR = 4.38, 95 % CI 1.44-13.36; recessive model OR = 4.43, 95 % CI 1.47-13.42). This meta-analysis indicated that the TNF-α -308G> A polymorphism is not associated with breast cancer risk in the overall population but that the A allele may be a protective factor for breast cancer in postmenopausal women, and the AA genotype may be a breast cancer risk factor in premenopausal women.

Heat shock proteins at the crossroads between cancer and Alzheimer's disease

Heat shock proteins 70 and heat shock proteins 90 (Hsp70/90) have been implicated in many crucial steps of carcinogenesis: stabilizing oncogenic proteins, inhibiting programmed cell death and replicative senescence, induction of tumor angiogenesis, and activation of the invasion and metastasis. Plenty of cancer related proteins have the ability of regulating the expression of Hsp70/90 through heat shock factor 1. Cancer and Alzheimer's disease (AD) have plenty of overlapping regions in molecular genetics and cell biology associated with Hsp70/90. The Hsp70, as a protein stabilizer, has a cellular protection against neurodegeneration of the central nervous system, while Hsp90 promote neurodegenerative disorders indirectly through regulating the expression of Hsp70 and other chaperones. All these make existing anticancer drugs target Hsp70/90 which might be used in AD therapy.

Heat shock protein 70 gene polymorphisms and cancer risk: a meta-analysis

The polymorphisms in the three main heat shock protein 70 (HSP70-1, HSP70-2, and HSP70-hom) genes were identified to be associated with cancer risk. However, the results are inconsistent. We perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between the three HSP70 polymorphisms and cancer risk. Relevant studies were identified using PubMed, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang databases up to March 29, 2014. The cancer risk associated with the HSP70 polymorphisms was estimated for each study by odds ratios (OR) together with its 95% confidence interval (CI), respectively. Twenty case-control studies from eighteen publications were included; a significant association was observed for HSP70-2 polymorphism (dominant model: OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.11–2.09; recessive model: OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.06–3.45; AG versus AA: OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.03–1.84; GG versus AA: OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.21–4.54), while there was no significant association for HSP70-1 and HSP70-hom polymorphisms. Besides, in stratification analyses by ethnicity, cancer type, and source of control, significant association was detected for HSP70-2 polymorphism, while for HSP70-hom polymorphism, we found a significant association in hospital-based population under homozygote comparison model. This meta-analysis suggests that the HSP70-2 polymorphism rather than HSP70-hom and HSP70-1 polymorphisms was associated with the risk of cancer.

TNF-α promoter polymorphisms and risk of recurrence in patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the nonoropharynx

Functional polymorphisms of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) may play a critical role in the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses and could affect transcriptional levels of the TNF-α gene and thus contribute to carcinogenesis and outcomes of cancer patients. In a cohort study, we explored the associations between TNF-α polymorphisms and risk of recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma of the nonoropharynx (SCCNOP). We used log-rank test and multivariable Cox models to evaluate the associations between TNF-α polymorphisms and risk of recurrence. In overall comparisons, patients with the TNF-α -857 CC, TNF-α -863 CC and TNF-α -1031 TT genotypes had significantly worse disease-free survival (log-rank, p = 0.014, log-rank, p = .020, and log-rank, p = .002, respectively) and higher risk of disease recurrence than patients with the corresponding variant genotypes, respectively (hazard ratio [HR], 1.4, 95% CI, 1.1-1.9, HR, 1.4, 95% CI, 1.0-1.8 and HR, 1.6, 95% CI, 1.2-2.2, respectively). However, no significant association was detected for the TNF-α -308 polymorphism. Moreover, in further stratified analyses based on smoking status and treatment, we found that the associations of the TNF-α -857, TNF-α -863 and TNF-α -1031 polymorphisms with risk of recurrence were more pronounced in smokers and patients treated with chemoradiation. Our findings support a significant role of the TNF-α -857, TNF-α -863 and TNF-α -1031 polymorphisms in recurrence of SCCNOP, especially in smokers and patients treated with chemoradiation. Future prospective studies with larger sample size are needed to confirm these findings.

Association of common polymorphisms in TNFA, NFkB1 and NFKBIA with risk and prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and nuclear factor of kappa light chain gene enhancer in activated B cells (NF-κB) play critical role in carcinogenesis processes like tumour initiation, proliferation, migration and invasion. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in TNF-α, NF-κB and its inhibitor IκB genes were shown to be associated with susceptibility and prognosis of several cancers; however, their role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is not well recognised. Therefore, in present study, we aimed to investigate association of common polymorphisms in TNFA, NFkB1 and NFKBIA with risk and prognosis of ESCC in northern Indian population.

Methods

We genotyped 290 ESCC patients (including 162 followed up cases) and 311 mean age, gender and ethnicity matched controls for TNFA -308G>A, NFkB1 -94ATTG ins/del and NFKBIA (-826C>T and 3’UTRA>G) polymorphisms using PCR alone or followed by RFLP and TaqMan assay.

Results

TNFA-308GA genotype was associated with increased risk of ESCC specifically in females and in patients with regional lymph node involvement, while, NFKBIA -826CT+TT genotype conferred decreased risk of ESCC in females. Haplotypes of NFKBIA -826C>T and 3’UTRA>G polymorphisms, C_-826G₃’_UTR and T_-826A₃’_UTR, were associated with reduced risk of ESCC. No independent role of NFkB1 -94ATTG ins/del polymorphism in susceptibility of ESCC was found. Multi-dimensionality reduction analysis showed three factor model TNFA-308, NFKBIA-826, NFKBIA 3’UTR as better predictor for risk of ESCC. Furthermore, combined risk genotype analysis of all studied polymorphisms showed increased risk of ESCC in patients with 1-3 risk genotype compared to ‘0’ risk genotype. Survival analysis did not show any significant prognostic effect of studied polymorphisms. However, in stepwise multivariate analysis, metastasis was found to be independent prognostic predictor of ESCC patients.

Conclusion

TNFA-308 and NFKBIA (-826C>T and 3’UTRA>G) polymorphisms may play role in susceptibility but not in prognosis of ESCC patients in northern Indian population.

Genetic variants in TNF-α promoter are predictors of recurrence in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of oropharynx after definitive radiotherapy

The promoter variants of TNF-α, a major regulator of immune and inflammation responses, have been implicated in cancer development and prognosis. Thus, we investigated associations between four TNF-α promoter variants and risk of recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx (SCCOP). We evaluated associations of four TNF-α polymorphisms with risk of recurrence in a cohort of 846 patients with SCCOP. Log-rank test and multivariable Cox models were used to evaluate associations. Compared with patients with variant genotypes of the TNF-α -308 and TNF-α -863 polymorphisms, patients with common homozygous genotypes had worse disease-free survival (log-rank p = 0.0002 and p < 0.0001, respectively) and increased risk of SCCOP recurrence (HR, 1.9, 95% CI, 1.3-2.8 and HR, 1.9, 95% CI, 1.3-2.7, respectively) after multivariable adjustment. Furthermore, among patients with HPV16-positive tumors, those with common homozygous genotypes of the TNF-α -308 and -863 polymorphisms had worse disease-free survival (log-rank p = 0.005 and p = 0.007, respectively) and higher recurrence risk than patients with variant genotypes of these polymorphisms (HR, 5.1, 95% CI, 1.4-18.4 and HR, 3.7, 95% CI, 1.5-9.1, respectively), while no such significant associations were found for TNF-α -857 or -1031 polymorphisms. Our findings suggest that TNF-α -308 and -863 polymorphisms may modulate the risk of SCCOP recurrence in patients with HPV16-positive tumors. However, larger studies are needed to validate these results.

Polymorphisms in genes coding for HSP-70 are associated with gastric cancer and duodenal ulcer in a population at high risk of gastric cancer in Costa Rica

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Costa Rica has among the highest incidence and mortality rates for gastric cancer worldwide. The reasons for this are largely unknown. Polymorphisms of inflammatory response genes including genes encoding heat shock proteins (HSP) have been shown to be associated with the risk of gastric cancer in some populations. This study addresses the possible association between the HSP70-2 +1267 and HSP70-Hom +2437 polymorphisms and the risk of developing gastric cancer in a high-risk population in Costa Rica.

METHODS

DNA from 39 individuals diagnosed with gastric cancer, 79 healthy controls, 55 individuals with chronic gastritis and 52 individuals with duodenal ulcer was genotyped for the polymorphisms HSP70-2 +1267 and HSP70-Hom +2437 by RFLP. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine possible associations with the diagnoses and lineal regression analysis to determine associations with blood pepsinogen (PGs) levels as measured by serology.

RESULTS

The GA genotype of HSP70-2 was associated with increased risk of gastric cancer (OR = 3.42; 95% CI = 1.27-9.21; p = 0.015) and duodenal ulcer (OR = 2.57; 95% CI = 1.03-6.36; p = 0.042) as compared to the GG genotype. Persons with C carrier genotypes of HSP70-Hom were significantly less susceptible to gastric cancer than those with the TT genotype (OR = 0.29; 95% CI = 0.09-0.87; p = 0.027). The C carrier genotype was associated with lower PGI concentrations but none of the polymorphisms were associated with PGI/PGII.

CONCLUSIONS

Polymorphisms of HSP70 genes are associated with the development of gastric cancer and duodenal ulcers in a population at high risk for gastric cancer in Costa Rica.

Overexpression of HSPA2 is correlated with poor prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Heat shock-related 70 kDa protein 2 (HSPA2) has been identified as a potential cancer-promoting protein expressed at abnormal levels in a subset of cancers. However, its important role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is hardly known by people. The purpose of this study is to assess HSPA2 expression and to explore its role in ESCC.

Methods

Thirty ESCC samples, paired adjacent non-cancerous tissues and normal esophageal tissues, were collected for HSPA2 detection by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting. Additionally, the expression of HSPA2 in ESCC and adjacent non-cancerous tissues from 120 patients was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, and correlated with clinicopathological parameters and patients’ outcome.

Results

HSPA2 mRNA and protein were overexpressed in ESCC tissues. Overexpression of HSPA2 was significantly associated with primary tumor, TNM stage, lymph node metastases and recurrence, respectively (all, P <0.05). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that elevated HSPA2 expression was associated with shorter disease-free survival and overall survival in ESCC patients. Cox multivariate regression analysis revealed that overexpression of HSPA2 was an independent prognostic factor in disease-free survival and overall survival for ESCC patients (hazard ratio was 2.115 and 2.210, respectively, P <0.05).

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that overexpression of HSPA2 may contribute to the malignant progression of ESCC and present a novel prognostic indicator for ESCC patients.

Prognostic value of single nucleotide polymorphisms of candidate genes associated with inflammation in early stage breast cancer

To examine the role of germline genetic variations in inflammatory pathways as modifiers of time to recurrence (TTR) in patients with early stage breast cancer (BC), DNA from 997 early stage BC patients was genotyped for 53 tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 12 genes involved in inflammation. SNPs were analyzed separately for Caucasians versus African-Americans and Hispanics. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association between SNPs in the inflammatory genes and TTR, adjusted for clinical and pathologic covariates. In univariable analyses of Caucasian women, the homozygous genotype of 12 SNPs, including 6 NFKB1 SNPs, 4 IL4 SNPs, and 2 IL13 SNPs, were significantly associated with a decrease in TTR compared with the heterozygous and/or corresponding homozygous genotype (P < 0.05). The significant NFKB1 and IL4 SNPs were in an area of high linkage disequilibrium (D' > 0.8). After adjusting for stage, age, and treatment, carriage of the homozygous genotypes for NFKB1 rs230532 and IL13rs1800925 were independently associated with a shorter TTR (P = 0.001 and P = 0.034, respectively). In African-American and Hispanic patients, expression of NFKB1 rs3774932, TNFrs1799964, and IL4rs3024543 SNPs were associated with a shorter TTR in univariable model. Only NFKB1 rs3774932 (P = 0.02) and IL4Rrs3024543 (P = 0.03) had independent prognostic value in the multivariable model These data support the existence of host genetic susceptibility as a component in recurrence risk mediated by pro-inflammatory and immune factors, and suggest the potential for drugs which modify immune responses and inflammatory genes to improve prognosis in early stage BC.

Association of MHC class-III gene polymorphisms with ER-positive breast cancer in Chinese Han population

Polymorphisms of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) have been linked to many diseases, especially autoimmune disorders. Previous studies have shown that genetic variants in MHC class III are associated with breast cancer. To determine if there is an association between MHC class III and breast cancer risk in the Chinese Han population, we carried out a hospital-based case-control study in Guangdong and Jiangsu Provinces, including 216 histologically confirmed breast cancer patients and 216 healthy controls. Nine SNP markers distributed in the class III-coding region were detected using the Sequenom MassARRAY(®) iPLEX System. Deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was observed for seven SNPs. There was no significant association between these seven SNP variants and breast cancer in these Chinese women (unconditional logistic regression analysis). However, chr6_31697494 at BAT2, one of the seven SNPs, was found to be significantly associated with both ER- and PR-positive breast cancer. In addition, both chr6_31911109 at C6orf48 and chr6_31975605 at ZBTB12, another two of the seven SNPs, show relevance with ER-positive breast cancer. In conclusion, this is the first evidence that genetic polymorphisms in the MHC class III region are significantly associated with ER-positive breast cancer in the Han Chinese population.

TNF-α Polymorphisms in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Which Potential Clinical Implications?

Whether tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) gene polymorphisms (SNPs) influence disease susceptibility and treatment of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is presently uncertain. TNF-α is one of the most important cytokine involved in JIA pathogenesis. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified within the region of the TNF-α gene but only a very small minority have proven functional consequences and have been associated with susceptibility to JIA. An association between some TNF-α SNPs and adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility, severity and clinical response to anti-TNF-α treatment has been reported. The most frenquetly studied TNF-α SNP is located at -308 position, where a substitution of the G allele with the rare A allele has been found. The presence of the allele -308A is associated to JIA and to a poor prognosis. Besides, the -308G genotype has been associated with a better response to anti-TNF-α therapy in JIA patients, confirming adult data. Psoriatic and oligoarticular arthritis are significantly associated to the -238 SNP only in some works. Studies considering other SNPs are conflicting and inconclusive. Large scale studies are required to define the contribution of TNF-α gene products to disease pathogenesis and anti-TNF-α therapeutic efficacy in JIA.

HSP90, HSPA8, HIF-1 alpha and HSP70-2 polymorphisms in breast cancer: a case-control study

This case control study aims to investigate the role of HSP90 Gln488His (C > G), HSP70-2 P1/P2, HIF-1 alpha C1772T and HSPA8 intronic 1541-1542delGT polymorphisms as potential risk factors and/or prognostic markers for breast cancer. 113 consecutive incident cases of histologically confirmed ductal breast cancer and 124 healthy cases were recruited. The above mentioned polymorphisms were genotyped; multivariate logistic regression was performed. HSP90 GG (His/His) genotype was associated with elevated breast cancer risk. Similarly, the allele dose-response model pointed to increase in breast cancer risk per G allele. HSP70-2 P1/P2, HSPA8 intronic 1541-1542delGT and HIF-1 alpha polymorphisms were not associated with breast cancer risk, as evidenced by the dose-response allele models. The positive association between HSP90 G allele and breast cancer risk seemed to pertain to both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. With respect to survival analysis, none of the aforementioned polymorphisms was associated with either disease-free survival or overall survival. HSP90α Gln488His polymorphism seems to be a risk factor for breast cancer. On the other hand, our study did not point to excess risk conferred by HSPA8 1541-1542delGT, Hsp70-2 P1/P2 and HIF-1α C1772T.

Hsp70-2 gene polymorphism: susceptibility implication in Tunisian patients with coronary artery disease

Abstract

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a multifactorial disease where genetic and environmental factors interact in complex ways to cause the disease. Heat shock protein genes are involved in the progress of CAD. This implies that genetic variants of Hsp70–2 genes might contribute to the development of the CAD.

Aim of study

The aim of this study was to characterize statistical correlation of linkage between lipid profiles, polymorphism PstI site of Hsp70–2 gene and CAD.

Patients and methods

This study was carried out on Tunisian patients with CAD recruited from Hospital of Fattouma Bourguiba of Monastir-Tunisia. Polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzymes were used to determine the genotypic distributions in 252 unrelated patients and 151 healthy control subjects. Further, ApoA-I and ApoB as well as the serum total of cholesterol, HDL, triglyceride, and hs-CRP levels were measured.

Results

We showed a decreased level of ApoA-I, whereas the levels of each of ApoB and hs-CRP were increased in patients with CAD compared with control group. In addition our studies of a polymorphic PstI site of Hsp70-2 gene at position 1267 of the Hsp70–2 gene have revealed that the allelic frequency of P2 was significantly more frequent in CAD patients than controls group (p=0.007, OR=1.495). The genotypic distribution showed a high incidence of P2/P2 genotype in CAD patients (0.190) compared to healthy control (0.009) with reach significant difference (p=0.006). The P2 carriers showed a significantly increased of Total-Cholesterol (CT) and C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in CAD patients (p=0.008 and p=0.018, respectively).

Conclusion

The high incidence of P2-Hsp70-2 genotype in CAD patients and the significantly association of P2/P2 genotype with elevated Total Cholesterol and hs-CRP levels, supported that P2–Hsp70–2 genotype has susceptibility implication in CAD and could increased the risk of CAD in Tunisian population.

Virtual slides

The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1118340895703689

Variations in HSPA1B at 6p21.3 are associated with lung cancer risk and prognosis in Chinese populations

The heat shock protein Hsp70 is crucial for regulating cellular homeostasis in stressed cells. Although the tumorigenic potential and prognostic applications of Hsp70 have been widely investigated, it remains unclear whether genetic variations of the human isoforms HSPA1L, HSPA1A, and HSPA1B are associated with cancer risk and prognosis. In this study, we genotyped six tagSNPs in these genes in 1,152 paired patients with lung cancer and controls, and then validated the results in additional cohorts of 1,781 patients with lung cancer and 1,038 controls. In addition, we evaluated the associations of these tagSNPs with survival in 330 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with additional validation in another 331 patients with advanced NSCLC. Functions of the risk variants identified were investigated using cell-based reporter assays. We found that the HSPA1B rs6457452T allele was associated with increased lung cancer risk compared with the rs6457452C allele in both data sets and also pooled analysis (adjusted OR = 1.41; P = 2.8 × 10(-5)). The HSPA1B rs2763979TT genotype conferred poor survival outcomes for patients with advanced NSCLC in two independent cohorts and pooled analysis [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.80, 1.61, and 1.66; P = 0.013, 0.036, and 0.002, respectively]. Lastly, we also found that the rs2763979T and rs6457452T alleles were each sufficient to reduce expression of transcriptional reporter constructs, when compared with the rs2763979C and rs6457452C alleles, respectively. Taken together, our findings define that functional HSPA1B variants are associated with lung cancer risk and survival. These Hsp70 genetic variants may offer useful biomarkers to predict lung cancer risk and prognosis.

TNFRSF1B +676 T>G polymorphism predicts survival of non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with chemoradiotherapy

Background

The dysregulation of gene expression in the TNF-TNFR superfamily has been involved in various human cancers including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Furthermore, functional polymorphisms in TNF-α and TNFRSF1B genes that alter gene expression are likely to be associated with risk and clinical outcomes of cancers. However, few reported studies have investigated the association between potentially functional SNPs in both TNF-α and TNFRSF1B and prognosis of NSCLC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy.

Methods

We genotyped five potentially functional polymorphisms of TNF-α and TNFRSF1B genes [TNF-α -308 G>A (rs1800629) and -1031 T>C (rs1799964); TNFRSF1B +676 T>G (rs1061622), -1709A>T(rs652625) and +1663A>G (rs1061624)] in 225 NSCLC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy alone. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate associations between these variants and NSCLC overall survival (OS).

Results

We found that the TNFRSF1B +676 GG genotype was associated with a significantly better OS of NSCLC (GG vs. TT: adjusted HR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.15-0.94; GG vs. GT/TT: adjusted HR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.14-0.88). Further stepwise multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the TNFRSF1B +676 GG was an independent prognosis predictor in this NSCLC cohort (GG vs. GT/TT: HR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.14-0.85), in the presence of node status (N_2-3 vs. N_0-1: HR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.09-2.35) and tumor stage (T_3-4 vs. T_0-2: HR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.08-2.03).

Conclusions

Although the exact biological function for this SNP remains to be explored, our findings suggest a possible role of TNFRSF1B +676 T>G (rs1061622) in the prognosis of NSCLC. Further large and functional studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Polymorphisms of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and hepatocellular carcinoma risk: a HuGE systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Studies investigating the associations between tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFA) polymorphisms and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk report conflicting results. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the association between TNFA gene TNFA-308(G/A), TNFA-238(G/A), TNFA-863(C/A), TNFA-857(C/T), TNFA-1031 (T/C) polymorphisms and HCC susceptibility.

METHODS

Two investigators independently searched the Medline, Embase, CNKI, and Chinese Biomedicine Database. Summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for TNFA polymorphisms and HCC were calculated in a fixed-effects model (the Mantel-Haenszel method) and a random-effects model (the DerSimonian and Laird method) when appropriate.

RESULTS

This meta-analysis included 17 case-control studies, which included 2,357 HCC cases and 3,161 controls. Overall, the variant genotypes AA/AG of -308G/A were associated with a significantly increased HCC risk, when compared with GG genotype (AA vs. GG, OR=1.97, 95%CI=1.01-3.83; AG vs. GG, OR=1.88, 95%CI=1.23-2.88; AA/AG vs. GG, OR=1.80, 95%CI=1.19-2.72). When stratifying for ethnicity, significantly elevated HCC risk was found among Asians. Moreover, similar results were observed between TNFA-238G/A, TNFA-863C/A polymorphisms and HCC risk among Asians (for -238G/A, AG vs. GG OR=1.63, 95%CI=1.17-2.26, AA/AG vs. GG OR=1.61, 95%CI=1.16-2.24; for -863 C/A, AC vs. CC OR=1.72, 95%CI=1.03-2.88, AA/AC vs. CC OR=1.71, 95%CI=1.02-2.86), while no associations were observed between TNFA-857C/T, TNFA-1031T/C polymorphisms and HCC susceptibility.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis shows that TNFA-308G/A, TNFA-238G/A and TNFA-863C/A polymorphisms may be associated with HCC among Asians. TNFA-857C/T and TNFA-1031T/C polymorphisms were not detected to be related to the risk for HCC.

Polymorphic analysis of MHClinked Heat Shock Protein 70 genes: Their susceptibility and prognostic implication in Kangri cancer cases of Kashmiri population

Kangri cancer is a unique thermally-induced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of skin that develops due to persistent use of Kangri (a brazier), used by Kashmiri people, to combat the chilling cold during winter months. We designed a large scale case-control study to characterize the frequency of two polymorphisms within the MHC class III-linked HSP70genes, Hsp70-2 and Hsp70-hom, in order to find any association of these genotypic variants for predisposition to and clinical outcome of Kangri cancer patients from Kashmir valley in North India. Polymerase Chain Reaction and restriction enzymes were utilized to characterize the frequency of two polymorphisms with in Hsp70-2 and Hsp70-hom genes in 118 Kangri carcinoma cases and 95 healthy controls from the same population of Kashmir. Association of high frequency allelic variants of Hsp70genes with various clinicopathological features of prognostic significance was assessed by Chi-square test using SPSS software. In this study, allelic frequency of Hsp70-2 A/G heterozygote (0.87) (P = 0.012) was found to be significantly high in Kangri cancer cases compared to control (0.736) with a Relative Risk of 2.45 fold. Conversely, the allelic frequency of Hsp70-2 A/A allele in homozygous condition was significantly low in Kangri cancer cases and worked out to be 0.084 (Vs 0.252 in control) with P is equal to 0.001, implicating it as a protective allele against Kangri cancer in subjects with this genotype. Similarly, significantly high frequency of 0.50 (Vs 0.29 in control) of Hsp70-homC/C allele was found in homozygous condition in Kangri cancer cases suggestive of a positive relative risk associated with this genotype (RR is equal to 2.47) (P is equal to 0.002). The overall allele frequency data analysis of Hsp70-2 and Hsp70-hom genes was significant (χ² is equal to 12.38, P is equal to 0.002; and χ² is equal to 12.21, P is equal to 0.002). The study also reveals considerable association of high frequency alleles of HSP70 genes, especially of Hsp70-2 A/G or G/G in Kangri tumors with clinico-pathological features of poor prognosis. These results indicate that the relative risk of Kangri cancer associated with Hsp70-2 and Hsp70- hom gene polymorphisms is confined to Hsp70-2 A/G or G/G and Hsp70homC/C haplotype in our population. The study, therefore, suggests Hsp70-2 A/G or G/G and Hsp70homC/C genotypes as potential susceptibility markers and independent prognostic indicators in Kangri carcinoma patients in Kashmiri population.

Tumour necrosis factor alpha -308G/A polymorphism and risk of the four most frequent cancers: a meta-analysis

The latest data show that breast, prostate, lung and colorectal cancer are the four most frequent cancers in both sexes worldwide. A number of molecular epidemiological studies have been conducted to examine the association between TNF alpha -308G/A and the risk of those cancers. However the results have been inconclusive or inconsistent. We then performed a meta-analysis to derive a precise estimation of this association. We carried out a comprehensive search in Medline, EMBASE, OVID and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database for studies using related keywords. The inclusion criteria were (i) in English or Chinese; (ii) case-control study on this association; (iii) provide usable genotype frequencies; and (iv) sufficient published data for estimating an odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). ORs and 95% CIs were calculated to assess the strength of this association under homozygote comparison (AA vs GG), heterozygote comparison (GA vs GG), dominant (AA/GA vs GG) and recessive (AA vs GA/GG) genetic model comparison. Thirty case-control studies with a total number of 16,507 cases and 19,749 controls were selected for analysis. Overall, no significant association was found between this polymorphism and the risk of total four cancers (GA vs GG: OR=1.02, 95% CI=0.91-1.14, P=0.78). However, there was a significant association between this polymorphism and breast cancer risk in western populations (GA vs GG: OR=0.91, 95% CI=0.85-0.96, P=0.002). This meta-analysis also revealed that this polymorphism was not associated with susceptibility to the other three cancers.

Inflammatory mediators in breast cancer: coordinated expression of TNFα & IL-1β with CCL2 & CCL5 and effects on epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

Background

The inflammatory chemokines CCL2 (MCP-1) & CCL5 (RANTES) and the inflammatory cytokines TNFα & IL-1β were shown to contribute to breast cancer development and metastasis. In this study, we wished to determine whether there are associations between these factors along stages of breast cancer progression, and to identify the possible implications of these factors to disease course.

Methods

The expression of CCL2, CCL5, TNFα and IL-1β was determined by immunohistochemistry in patients diagnosed with: (1) Benign breast disorders (=healthy individuals); (2) Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS); (3) Invasive Ducal Carcinoma without relapse (IDC-no-relapse); (4) IDC-with-relapse. Based on the results obtained, breast tumor cells were stimulated by the inflammatory cytokines, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was determined by flow cytometry, confocal analyses and adhesion, migration and invasion experiments.

Results

CCL2, CCL5, TNFα and IL-1β were expressed at very low incidence in normal breast epithelial cells, but their incidence was significantly elevated in tumor cells of the three groups of cancer patients. Significant associations were found between CCL2 & CCL5 and TNFα & IL-1β in the tumor cells in DCIS and IDC-no-relapse patients. In the IDC-with-relapse group, the expression of CCL2 & CCL5 was accompanied by further elevated incidence of TNFα & IL-1β expression. These results suggest progression-related roles for TNFα and IL-1β in breast cancer, as indeed indicated by the following: (1) Tumors of the IDC-with-relapse group had significantly higher persistence of TNFα and IL-1β compared to tumors of DCIS or IDC-no-relapse; (2) Continuous stimulation of the tumor cells by TNFα (and to some extent IL-1β) has led to EMT in the tumor cells; (3) Combined analyses with relevant clinical parameters suggested that IL-1β acts jointly with other pro-malignancy factors to promote disease relapse.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the coordinated expression of CCL2 & CCL5 and TNFα & IL-1β may be important for disease course, and that TNFα & IL-1β may promote disease relapse. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed for determination of the joint powers of the four factors in breast cancer, as well as analyses of their combined targeting in breast cancer.

TNF-alpha polymorphisms and breast cancer

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine in the development and progress in human cancer. TNF-α polymorphisms have been confirmed to influence the risk for several types of cancer, however, the associations between TNF-α polymorphisms and breast cancer (BC) remain controversial and ambiguous. The aim of this meta-analysis is to explore more precise estimations regarding this point. Electronic searches of several databases were conducted for all online publications on the associations between TNF-α-238, -308, -857, -863, -1031, -1210 polymorphisms and BC through March 2011. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated to assess the strength of these associations in fixed- and random-effect models with Review manager 5.0. A total of 17 studies with 44,442 BC patients and 49,926 controls involved were identified. This meta-analysis showed no significant association between TNF-α-308 polymorphism and BC (AA + GA vs. GG: OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.82-1.09) in overall and (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 0.61-3.40) Asian populations, however, a negative association was shown in Caucasian subgroup (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.85-0.97). As regards the TNF-α-238 polymorphism, the OR values (95% CI) were 0.99 (0.94-1.05), 0.94 (0.78-1.14), and 1.00 (0.95-1.05) for the overall, Asian, and Caucasian studies, respectively. No significant associations were found for other polymorphisms. Furthermore, there was a coincidence in the sensitivity analysis of these associations. No publication bias was detected in this study. To sum up, no significant associations were found between the TNF-α-308, -238, -857, -863, -1031, -1210 polymorphisms and the risk for BC in overall populations, whereas a negative association was found between TNF-α-308 polymorphism and BC in Caucasian populations.

Polymorphisms of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis

We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the association between tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) gene TNFA -308 (G>A), TNFA -238 (G>A), TNFA -857 (C>T), TNFA -863 (C>A), TNFA -1031 (T>C), TNFA -1210 (A>T) polymorphisms and breast cancer(BC) susceptibility. We also performed subgroup analyses based on ethnicity (Caucasian, Asian, and African). An extensive search was performed to identify all case-control studies investigating such association. Thirteen eligible studies, including 10,236 BC patients and 13,143 controls, were identified. No significant association was observed in all genotypes in worldwide populations, but stratification by ethnicity indicated that the TNFA -308 A allele was associated with a decreased risk of BC compared with the G allele in Caucasian individuals (OR = 0.927, 95%CI = 0.879-0.978). Similar results were obtained when the A/A +A/G genotype was compared with the G/G genotype. In addition, meta-analysis results indicated that the A/A genotype of TNFA -308 was a risk factor for BC in African (A/A vs. G/G OR = 4.085 95%CI = 1.460-11.425; A/A vs. G/A OR = 4.861 95%CI = 1.746-13.527; A/A vs. G/A + G/G OR = 4.246 95%CI = 1.551-11.625), but not in Caucasian or Asian individuals. In conclusion, the results of this meta-analysis indicate that the TNFA -308 A allele may be an important protective factor for BC in European individuals, but it is not likely to confer susceptibility to BC in worldwide populations. In addition, the AA genotype of TNFA -308 may be a risk factor for BC in African individuals. Besides, other polymorphisms were not associated with BC susceptibility.

HLA complex-linked heat shock protein genes and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia susceptibility

Three heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) genes, HSPA1L, HSPA1A, and HSPA1B, are located within the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class III region. HSPs act as stress signals and regulate natural killer cell response to cancer. HSP70 gene polymorphisms show disease associations partly due to their linkage disequilibrium with HLA alleles. To systematically evaluate their associations with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), we examined the three functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs2227956 (T493M) in HSPA1L, rs1043618 in HSPA1A 5'UTR, and rs1061581 (Q351Q) in HSPA1B by TaqMan assays or polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism in 114 ALL cases and 414 controls from Wales (UK), in 100 Mexican Mestizo ALL cases and 253 controls belonging to the same ethnic group, and in a panel of 82 HLA-typed reference cell line samples. Homozygosity for HSPA1B rs1061581 minor allele G was associated with protection (odds ratio (OR) = 0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.16-0.78; P = 0.007) with gene-dosage effect (additive model) reaching significance (P = 0.0001) in the Welsh case-control group. This association was replicated in the second case-control group from Mexico (OR (recessive model) = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.24-0.96; P = 0.03), and the pooled analysis yielded a strong association (Mantel-Haenszel OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.27-0.69, P = 0.0004). The association was stronger in males in each group and in the pooled analysis. A three-SNP haplotype including the major allele A of rs1061581 showed a highly significant increase in Welsh cases compared with respective controls (6.7% vs 1.8%; P = 0.0003) due to the difference between male cases and controls. The protective allele of rs1061581 occurred more frequently on the HLA-DRB3 haplotypes (especially DRB1*03) in the cell line panel, but the HSPA1B association was independent from the HLA-DRB4 association previously detected in the same case-control group from Wales (adjusted P = 0.001). Given the cancer promoting roles played by HSPs intracellularly as well as roles in immune surveillance when expressed on the cell surface and the known correlations between expression levels and the HSP polymorphisms, these results are likely to indicate a primary association and warrant detailed assessment in childhood ALL development.