Polymorphisms in TRAIL receptor genes and risk of breast cancer in Spanish women

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand overexpression and Taxol treatment suppresses the growth of cervical cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a member of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily and functions to promote apoptosis by binding to cell surface death receptor (DR)4 and DR5. Cancer cells are more sensitive than normal cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis, and TRAIL-based therapeutic strategies have shown promise for the treatment of cancer. The present study investigated whether enforced overexpression of TRAIL in cervical cancer cells promoted cell death in the presence or absence of Taxol, an important first-line cancer chemotherapeutic drug. Hela human cervical cancer cells were transfected with a TRAIL expression plasmid, and the effects of the combination treatment with Taxol on apoptosis was investigated in vitro and in tumor xenografts in vivo. The results indicated that Taxol treatment and TRAIL overexpression enhanced apoptosis compared with either treatment alone. The present data indicate that Taxol may enhance the pro-apoptotic effects of TRAIL overexpression in HeLa cells by increasing cleaved caspase-3 and DR5 expression levels and decreasing Bcl-2 expression levels. Furthermore, the findings suggest a possible novel treatment option for cervical cancer and uncovers a potential mechanism of the enhancing effects of Taxol on TRAIL-induced apoptosis.

Genetic association between TRAIL-R1 Thr209Arg and cancer susceptibility

We aimed to determine the indecisive association between tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 1 (TRAIL-R1) Thr209Arg polymorphism and inherited susceptibility to cancer. A meta-analysis combining data on 9,517 individuals was performed to assess the association between TRAIL-R1 Thr209Arg and cancer incidence. The summary ORs with 95% CI calculated with the fixed effects model suggested that Thr209Arg was not significantly associated with cancer susceptibility (homozygous model: OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.88–1.09; heterozygous model: OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.87–1.04; allele frequency model: OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.94–1.05; dominant model: OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.91–1.05; recessive model: OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.92–1.10). Stratified analysis by ethnicity and cancer type yielded similar null associations. These statistical data suggest that Thr209Arg in exon 4 of the TRAIL-R1 gene may not represent a modifier of susceptibility to cancer.

Role of interferon gamma and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 1 single nucleotide polymorphism in natural clearance and treatment response of HCV infection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) pathogenesis and treatment outcomes are multifactorial phenomena involving both viral and host factors. This study was designed to determine the role of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 1(TRAIL-R1) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) genetic mutations in susceptibility and response to interferon-based therapy of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The detection of TRAIL-R1 rs4242392 and IFN-γ rs2069707 single nucleotide polymorphisms was completed in 118 chronic HCV patients and 96 healthy controls by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphisms polymerase chain reaction. Patients were further categorized into sustained virological responder (SVR) and nonresponder (NR) groups on the basis of their response to interferon-based therapy for HCV infection. Real-time PCR was used for HCV quantification. HCV genotyping was performed by Ohno's method. The results demonstrated that the distribution of the TRAIL-R1 rs4242392TT genotype was significantly higher in the SVR group (78%) compared to the NR group (36%). It showed that chronic HCV patients possessing the TRAIL-R1 rs4242392TT genotype are better responders to interferon-based therapy (p<0.05). The prevalence of the TRAIL-R1 rs4242392TT genotype in healthy controls and chronic HCV patients was 56% and 65% respectively. It indicated that there is the TRAIL-R1 rs4242392 genetic variation plays no role in the spontaneous clearance of HCV infection (p>0.05). The distribution of IFN-γ rs2069707 was the opposite to TRAIL-R1 rs4242392 prevalence, that is, there was high distribution of the IFN-γ rs2069707GG genotype in patients and healthy controls (p<0.05), while the prevalence of IFN-γ rs2069707GG in SVR and NR groups was comparable (p>0.05). In conclusion, genetic variation of TRAIL-R1 rs4242392 is linked with response to interferon-based therapy for HCV infection, and genetic variation IFN-γ rs2069707 is associated with natural clearance of HCV infection.

Death receptor (DR4) haplotypes are associated with increased susceptibility of gallbladder carcinoma in north Indian population

Background and Aim

Defective apoptosis is a hallmark of cancer development and progression. Death receptors (DR4, FAS) and their ligands (TRAIL, FASL) are thought to mediate the major extrinsic apoptotic pathway in the cell. SNPs in these genes may lead to defective apoptosis. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the association of functional SNPs of DR4 (rs20575, rs20576 and rs6557634), FAS (rs2234767) and FASL (rs763110) with gallbladder cancer (GBC) risk.

Methods

This case-control study included 400 GBC and 246 healthy controls (HC). Genotyping was carried out by Taqman genotyping assays. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS ver16. Meta-analysis was performed using Comprehensive Meta-analysis software (Version 2.0, BIOSTAT, Englewood, NJ) to systematically summarize the possible association of SNP with cancer risk. Functional prediction of these variants was carried out using Bioinformatics tools (FAST-SNP, F-SNP). False discovery rate (FDR test) was used in multiple comparisons.

Results

The DR4 C_rs20575A_rs20576A_rs6557634, G_rs20575A_rs20576G_rs6557634 and G_rs20575C_rs20576G_rs6557634 haplotypes conferred two-fold increased risk for GBC. Among these, the DR4 C_rs20575A_rs20576A_rs6557634 haplotype emerged as main factor influencing GBC susceptibility as the risk was not modulated by gender or gallstone stratification. Our meta-analysis results showed significant association of DR4 rs6557634 with overall cancer risk, GI cancers as well as in Caucasians. We didn't find any association of FAS and FASL SNPs with GBC susceptibility.

Conclusions

The DR4 haplotype C_rs20575A_rs20576A_rs6557634 represents an important factor accounting the patients susceptibility to GBC probably due to decreased apoptosis. However, additional well-designed studies with larger sample size focusing on different ethnicities are required to further validate the results.

Association of death receptor 4 variant (683A > C) with ovarian cancer risk in BRCA1 mutation carriers

Dysregulation of apoptosis plays an important role in carcinogenesis. Therefore, apoptosis-associated genes like the death receptor 4 (DR4, TRAIL-R1) are interesting candidates for modifying the penetrance of breast and ovarian cancer in carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. The DR-4 haplotype 626C-683C [626C > G, Thr209Arg (rs4871857) and 683A > C, Glu228Ala (rs17088993)] has recently been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. To evaluate whether DR4 626C > G or DR4 683A > C modifies the risk of breast or ovarian cancer in carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, we undertook a national multicenter study including data of 840 carriers of breast cancer gene (BRCA) mutations. DNA samples were collected from 12 German research centers between 1996 and 2005 and were genotyped by the Taqman allelic discrimination assay. The association between genotypes and incidence of breast or ovarian cancer data was evaluated using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. We found evidence for a significant association of DR4 683A > C with a higher risk for ovarian cancer in carriers of BRCA1 mutations [n = 557, hazard ratio 1.78 (1.24-2.55), p = 0.009]. Our results thus indicate that the DR4 683A > C variant modifies the risk of ovarian cancer in carriers of BRCA1 mutations.

Haplotypes covering the TNFSF10 gene are associated with bronchial asthma

Tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is elevated in the airways of subjects with asthma and has been linked to the development of allergic airway disease by promoting STAT6-dependent T helper 2 cell (T(H) 2) effector functions. To determine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TNFSF10 gene are associated with bronchial asthma we genotyped 498 Caucasian subjects living in Southern Germany for eight SNPs in the TNFSF10 by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. In contrast to single SNPs, haplotypes constructed from eight SNPs were robustly associated with asthma (p=0.00012). A small haplotype approach returned four alleles consisting of two (rs3136586/ rs3136598), three (rs12488654/rs3136586/rs3136598 and rs3136586/rs3136598/rs3136604), and four SNPs (rs12488654/ rs3136586/ rs3136598/ rs3136604) that were highly associated with asthma (p=0.00005, p=0.00008, p=0.00017 and p=0.00038). Combinations of SNPs in the TNFSF10 allele were strongly associated with asthma supporting the concept that TRAIL is important in the development of hallmark features of this disease.

Polymorphism in tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 1 is associated with poor viral response to interferon-based hepatitis C virus therapy in HIV/hepatitis C virus-coinfected individuals

OBJECTIVE(S)

HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection causes accelerated liver disease compared to HCV monoinfection, and only 30-60% of HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals respond to HCV therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. There are currently no biomarkers that predict treatment response in these coinfected patients.

DESIGN

We investigated whether there is an association between HCV treatment response and SNPs of apoptosis-related genes during HIV/HCV coinfection.

METHOD

Genomic DNA from 53 HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals was analyzed for 82 SNPs of 10 apoptosis-related genes.

RESULTS

We found that the presence of the rs4242392 SNP in tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 10a (TNFRSF10A), which encodes for tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 1, predicts poor outcome to HCV therapy, in HIV/HCV-co-infected patients [odds ratio 5.91 (95% confidence interval 1.63-21.38, P = 0.007)].

CONCLUSION

The rs4242392 SNP of the tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 1 gene predicted poor interferon-based HCV treatment response in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients.

Emerging apoptosis agonists for bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is a very common and aggressive tumor entity. Unfortunately, common chemotherapy is not able to cure advanced bladder cancer. Therefore, several attempts have been made to improve the response to chemotherapy. Because changes in apoptotic pathways are frequent events in the development of chemoresistance of malignancies, pro-apoptotic treatment seems promising for the improvement of bladder cancer prognosis. Preclinical data show potential ways for a successful combination of apoptosis agonists with conventional chemotherapy. None of these principles has so far successfully been translated into clinical trials for bladder cancer. This review describes actual studies and future perspectives for apoptotic agonists in bladder cancer.

TNF superfamily gene polymorphism as prognostic factor in early breast cancer

PURPOSE

Since apoptosis may play a role in the prognosis of breast cancer, the present study analyzed the polymorphisms of apoptosis-related genes and their impact on the survival of 240 patients with early invasive ductal breast cancer.

METHODS

The genomic DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded tumor-free tissue or blood, and 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of 11 apoptosis-related genes in the apoptosis pathway determined using a Sequenom MassARRAY system.

RESULTS

During the median follow-up of 53.4 (range 2.9-205.9) months, 37 relapses and 22 deaths occurred. Among the target polymorphisms, the tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 10 gene polymorphism (TNFSF10 rs1131532) in a recessive model of the T allele and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 gene polymorphism (PTGS2 rs5275) in a dominant model of the C allele were associated with survival in a log-rank test. The TT genotype of TNFSF10 (rs1131532) was also significantly correlated with a lower disease-free, distant disease-free, and overall survival in a multivariate analysis (HR = 3.304, 4.757, and 6.459; P = 0.002, 0.001, and 0.009, respectively), while PTGS2 rs5275 was only associated with a higher distant disease-free survival (HR = 0.302; P = 0.041). No clinicopathologic difference was observed according to the genotypes of these two polymorphisms.

CONCLUSION

The TNFSF10 (rs1131532) polymorphism was identified as a possible prognostic factor of survival in patients with operated invasive breast cancer.

TRAIL-R1 polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility: an evidence-based meta-analysis

Published data on the association between tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 1 (TRAIL-R1 or DR4) polymorphisms rs20575 (C626G), rs2230229 (A1322G) and rs20576 (A683C) and cancer risk are inconclusive. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, a meta-analysis was performed. A total of nine studies, among which eight articles including 2941 cases and 3358 controls described C626G genotypes, three articles including 736 cases and 668 controls described A1322G genotypes and three studies totalling 1550 cases and 2257 controls described A683C genotypes were involved in this meta-analysis. Overall, all three polymorphisms were associated with cancer susceptibility. For C626G polymorphism, there was no association between C626G polymorphism and the risk of cancer in all genetic models when all the eligible studies were pooled into the meta-analysis. In the subgroup analysis by source of controls, statistically significantly reduced cancer risks were found among groups with population-based controls for CG versus CC (OR=0.77, 95% CI:0.65-0.91, P(heterogeneity)=0.007) and dominant model (OR=0.84, 95% CI:0.72-0.99, P(heterogeneity)=0.409). For A1322G polymorphism, we found it was associated with a significantly elevated cancer risk of all cancer types in different genetic models (homozygote comparison: OR=2.80, 95% CI:1.16-6.76, P(heterogeneity)=0.905; dominant model comparison: OR=1.57, 95% CI:1.02-2.41, P(heterogeneity)=0.167; and recessive model comparison: OR=1.22, 95% CI:0.94-1.60, P(heterogeneity)=0.535). Similar results were obtained from A683C polymorphism (homozygote comparison: OR=3.21, 95% CI:1.26-8.20, P(heterogeneity)=0.012; dominant model comparison: OR=1.61, 95% CI: 1.09-2.36, P(heterogeneity)=0.000; and recessive model comparison: OR=2.79, 95% CI: 1.17-6.68, P(heterogeneity)=0.025). In summary, this meta-analysis suggests that TRAIL-R1 C626G polymorphism is marginally associated with cancer susceptibility, and both TRAIL-R1 A1322G G allele and A683C C allele are associated with increased risk for cancer.

The TRAIL apoptotic pathway in cancer onset, progression and therapy

Triggering of tumour cell apoptosis is the foundation of many cancer therapies. Death receptors of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily have been largely characterized, as have the signals that are generated when these receptors are activated. TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptors (TRAILR1 and TRAILR2) are promising targets for cancer therapy. Herein we review what is known about the molecular control of TRAIL-mediated apoptosis, the role of TRAIL in carcinogenesis and the potential therapeutic utility of recombinant TRAIL and agonistic antibodies against TRAILR1 and TRAILR2.