Tumor protein 53 gene polymorphism, demographic attributes and associated risk factors among liver cancer patients in Calabar, Nigeria

Mutations in the TP53 gene had been attributed to the development of liver cancer. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver tumour are liver diseases having high mortality rates in several populations. There is no information on the TP53 gene polymorphism among liver diseases patients in Calabar, Nigeria. This study investigated the genetic polymorphism of TP53 among HCC and liver tumour in Calabar. This research was carried out in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar. Blood samples were collected from 35 clinically diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma and 10 tumour patients and 10 healthy controls. DNA was extracted from all blood samples and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was performed using specific primers. The PCR amplicons were digested using Hae III restriction enzyme and the genotypic and allelic frequencies was determined. Demographic data among participants showed that males were 68.9% (31), females (31.1%; 14), sex ratio (2.2: 0.5), mean age was 41.51 ± 2.13 years with an odds ratio of 1.25. The distribution of participants according to marital status were 33(73.3%), 10(22.2%), and 2(4.4%) for married, single, and widowed respectively. The participants were from different extractions with varied representations of Yakurr (22.2%, 10), Efik (20%, 9), Boki (13.3%, 6), Ogoja (13.3%, 6), Annang (8.8%, 4), Ibibio (2.2%, 1) and Igbo (2.2%, 1) and respectively. Approximately, 64.7% (30) of the chronic liver diseases were from the Central and Northern part of Cross River State. The risk factors were HCV infection, HBsAg+, alcoholism, smoking, consumption of groundnuts that may have been contaminated with aflatoxin and family history of the disease. PCR product yielded 254 bp and digested PCR product showed homozygous TT mutation (27), heterozygous GT mutation (17) and homozygous GG wild type (1) in cases. The overall TP53 gene mutation frequency was 46.32% (44). The frequency of G allele, T allele, GG, GT and TT were 0.21, 0.79, 0.04, 0.33 and 0.62 respectively among cases, while GG (wild type) was only detected among controls in the study population. The genotypic and allelic frequencies conform to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium meaning that the forces of evolution were not acting on the locus. There were significant differences in the genotypic proportions of the TP53 gene polymorphism among patients and controls. This study on the TP53 gene polymorphism will serve as baseline information on the molecular etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver tumour in Cross River State.

Carrying SNP rs17506395 (T > G) in TP63 gene and CCR5Δ32 mutation associated with the occurrence of breast cancer in Burkina Faso

Genetic alterations in the TP63 (GenBank: NC_000003.12, ID: 8626) and CCR5 (receptor 5 chemokine co-receptor) (GenBank: NC_000003.12, ID: 1234) genes may increase the risk of developing breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the probable involvement of polymorphisms rs17506395 in the TP63 (tumour protein 63) gene and the CCR5Δ32 mutation in the occurrence of breast cancer in Burkina Faso. This case-control study included 72 patients and 72 controls. Genotyping of SNP rs17506395 (TP63) was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism, and genotyping of the CCR5Δ32 mutation was performed by allele-specific oligonucleotide polymerase chain reaction. For SNP rs17506395 (TP63), the genotypic frequencies of wild-type homozygotes (TT) and heterozygotes (TG) were, respectively, 27.72 and 72.22% in cases and 36.11 and 63.89% in controls. No mutated homozygotes (GG) were observed. For the CCR5Δ32 mutation, the genotypic frequencies of wild-type homozygotes (WT/WT) and heterozygotes (WT/Δ32) were 87.5 and 13.5%, respectively, in the cases and 89.29 and 10.71%, respectively, in the controls. No mutated homozygotes (Δ32/Δ32) were observed. None of the polymorphisms rs17506395 of the TP63 gene (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 0.69-3.17, P = 0.284) and the CCR5Δ32 mutation (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 0.46-3.77; P = 0.79) were associated with the occurrence of breast cancer in this study.

Chemokines in the Landscape of Cancer Immunotherapy: How They and Their Receptors Can Be Used to Turn Cold Tumors into Hot Ones?

Over the last decade, monoclonal antibodies to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), also known as immune checkpoint blockers (ICB), have been the most successful approach for cancer therapy. Starting with mAb to cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitors in metastatic melanoma and continuing with blockers of the interactions between program cell death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand program cell death ligand 1 (PDL-1) or program cell death ligand 2 (PDL-2), that have been approved for about 20 different indications. Yet for many cancers, ICI shows limited success. Several lines of evidence imply that the limited success in cancer immunotherapy is associated with attempts to treat patients with "cold tumors" that either lack effector T cells, or in which these cells are markedly suppressed by regulatory T cells (Tregs). Chemokines are a well-defined group of proteins that were so named due to their chemotactic properties. The current review focuses on key chemokines that not only attract leukocytes but also shape their biological properties. CXCR3 is a chemokine receptor with 3 ligands. We suggest using Ig-based fusion proteins of two of them: CXL9 and CXCL10, to enhance anti-tumor immunity and perhaps transform cold tumors into hot tumors. Potential differences between CXCL9 and CXCL10 regarding ICI are discussed. We also discuss the possibility of targeting the function or deleting a key subset of Tregs that are CCR8+ by monoclonal antibodies to CCR8. These cells are preferentially abundant in several tumors and are likely to be the key drivers in suppressing anti-cancer immune reactivity.

Evaluating the Association between CCR5delta32 Polymorphism (rs333) and the Risk of Breast Cancer in a Cohort of Iranian Population

Background

CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) is introduced as an immune response modulator. The activity of CCR5 influences breast tumour development in a p53-dependent manner. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of CCR5delta32 and its association with the risk of breast cancer in 1038 blood samples in North East of Iran.

Methods

In this case-control study, we genotyped 570 control samples and 468 breast cancer patients by a gel electrophoresis-based gap-polymerase chain reaction (gap-PCR) method Mashhad, Iran. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software.

Results

Of 570 controls included, 542 (95.09%) had CCR5delta32 ^{wild/wild (W/W)} genotype, 28 samples (4.91%) had CCR5delta32 ^{wild/deletion (W/D)} genotype and none of them were CCR5delta32 ^{deletion/deletion (D/D)} genotype (0%). While 428 samples of patients (91.45%) had CCR5delta32 ^W/W genotype, 40 samples (8.55%) had CCR5delta32 ^W/D and CCR5delta32 ^D/D homozygous was nil (0%) amongst cases. All samples were in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P>0.05). According to the allele frequency, D allele, as a risky allele, in the cases was more than the control samples (0.0427 vs 0.0245, respectively) (P=0.0206). Hence, W/D genotype may confer a risk effect (OR=1.77, CI: 1.09-2.90; P=0.0206) compared with WW genotype between case and control groups.

Conclusion

There is a statistically significant association between CCR5W/D and breast cancer risk. CCR5 may be regarded as a target for the prevention of breast cancer in certain conditions such as interaction with p53 variants, which remains to be further investigated.

A meta-analysis and in silico analysis of polymorphic variants conferring breast cancer risk in the Indian subcontinent

Background: Genetic association studies on breast cancer on the Indian subcontinent have yielded conflicting results, and the precise effect of these variants on breast cancer pathogenesis is not known. Methods: Genomic variants, as obtained from selected studies from the Indian subcontinent, were subjected to random-effects and fixed-effect meta-analysis. Functional annotation of the relevant variants was done through a tried and tested in silico pipeline. Results: We found rs4646903/CYP1A1, rs1799814/CYP1A1, rs61886492/GCPII, del2/GSTM1, rs4680/COMT and rs1801394/MTRR to be associated with breast cancer. The del2/GSTM1 holds the association in premenopausal women. Conclusions: This is the first study of its kind from the Indian subcontinent analysing the extent of association of variants across populations followed by their functional annotation in the disease pathway.

Association of PIN3 16-bp duplication polymorphism of TP53 with breast cancer risk in Mali and a meta-analysis

Background

Breast cancer, the most common tumor in women in Mali and worldwide has been linked to several risk factors, including genetic factors, such as the PIN3 16-bp duplication polymorphism of TP53. The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of the PIN3 16-bp duplication polymorphism in the susceptibility to breast cancer in the Malian population and to perform a meta-analysis to better understand the correlation with data from other populations.

Methods

We analyzed the PIN3 16-bp duplication polymorphism in blood samples of 60 Malian women with breast cancer and 60 healthy Malian women using PCR. In addition, we performed a meta-analysis of case-control study data from international databases, including Pubmed, Harvard University Library, Genetics Medical Literature Database, Genesis Library and Web of Science. Overall, odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI from fixed and random effects models were determined. Inconsistency was used to assess heterogeneity between studies and publication bias was estimated using the funnel plot.

Results

In the studied Malian patients, a significant association of PIN3 16-bp duplication polymorphism with breast cancer risk was observed in dominant (A1A2 + A2A2 vs. A1A1: OR = 2.26, CI 95% = 1.08–4.73; P = 0.02) and additive (A2 vs. A1: OR = 1.87, CI 95% = 1.05–3.33; P = 0.03) models, but not in the recessive model (P = 0.38). In the meta-analysis, nineteen (19) articles were included with a total of 6018 disease cases and 4456 controls. Except for the dominant model (P = 0.15), an increased risk of breast cancer was detected with the recessive (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.15–1.85; P = 0.002) and additive (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.02–1.19; P = 0.01) models.

Conclusion

The case-control study showed that PIN3 16-bp duplication polymorphism of TP53 is a significant risk factor for breast cancer in Malian women. These findings are supported by data from the meta-analysis carried out on different ethnic groups around the world.

The association between CCR5 Δ32 polymorphism and susceptibility to breast cancer

Background

Chemokine C-C motif receptor 5 (CCR5) gene polymorphisms have been proposed to play important roles in tumors. Δ32 polymorphism of this gene might correlate with breast cancer (BC) susceptibility. Nevertheless, inconsistent conclusions have been achieved as yet. We carried out this meta-analysis to draw a more comprehensive and convincing conclusion on this issue.

Results

No significant correlation of CCR5 Δ32 polymorphism with individual susceptibility to BC was detected in either total analysis (Δ32 vs. WT: OR=1.12, 95% CI=0.76-1.65; WT/Δ32 vs. WT/WT: OR=1.21, 95% CI=0.81-1.80) or subgroup analyses by ethnicity and control source.

Methods

All eligible studies were searched from electronic databases including Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar Web. Strength of association between CCR5 Δ32 polymorphism and BC susceptibility was evaluated using pooled odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). To further detect their correlation in specific populations, subgroup analyses were performed based on ethnicity and control source. Sensitivity analysis was conducted in this meta-analysis to test statistical stability of the final results. Publication bias among included studies was inspected with Begg’s funnel plot and Egger’s test.

Conclusion

CCR5 Δ32 polymorphism may not independently affect the risk of BC.

Lack of influence of TP53 Arg72Pro and 16bp duplication polymorphisms on risk of breast cancer in Iran

TP53 is assumed to be a very important tumour suppressor gene, as illustrated by recent reports that have shown effects of its polymorphisms on breast cancer risk. Arg72Pro and PIN3(16bp duplication) polymorphisms are proposed to have an effective role in structural changes of p53 and have therefore attracted interest as a risk factor for breast cancer in different populations. The aim of this study was to examine and determine whether p53 codon 72 and PIN3 Ins16 bp may be associated with an increased risk for breast cancer in female patients from the northwest of Iran. Genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism) method for a total of 100 women with breast cancer and 100 healthy women without any background of cancer, focusing on the TP53 Arg72Pro-16Del/Ins haplotypes and the combined genotypes. The results in this study established no statistical significant distinctions between the genotypes and allele frequency were found for Arg72Pro and PIN3 Ins 16 bp polymorphisms between patients and controls.

Effect of TP53 16-bp and β-TrCP 9-bp INS/DEL polymorphisms in relation to risk of breast cancer

P53 as a tumor suppressor and an apoptosis modulator, is the regulator of the cell cycle and apoptosis, and contributes to mammary gland development and breast cancer (BC) progression. BTRC gene (Homo sapiens beta-transducing repeat containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase) encoded protein, β-TrCP, is a novel regulator of p53. The current study aimed to assess the possible effects of TP53 IVS3 16 bp (rs17878362) and β-TrCP 9 bp (rs16405) INS/DEL polymorphisms on BC risk in an Iranian population. A total of 439 women including 236 BC patients and 203 healthy women were recruited. The TP53 and β-TrCP INS/DEL polymorphisms were genotyped by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction method. Our data demonstrated that the TP53 16-bp INS/DEL variation was associated with an increased risk of BC in codominant (INS/INS vs.

DEL/DEL

OR=1.82; 95% CI=1.02-3.23; P=0.042) and dominant (Del/INS+INS/INS vs.

DEL/DEL

OR=1.48; 95% CI=1.03-2.21; P=0.044) models. Additionally, the variant allele (INS) of TP53 DEL/INS polymorphism with a relatively higher frequency in cases than in controls (35.6 vs. 27.8) was a risk factor for BC (OR=1.43; 95% CI=1.06-1.93; P=0.017). With respect to β-TrCP INS/DEL polymorphism, our study failed to find any difference in allele and genotype distribution between BC patients and controls in codominant, dominant and recessive tested inheritance models (P>0.05). Furthermore, no significant association among the β-TrCP and TP53 genotype distribution and clinical characteristics of BC patients were found (P>0.05). Our findings suggest that the TP53 16-bp INS/INS and DEL/INS+INS/INS genotypes as well as the INS allele could be genetic factors related to BC risk.

TP53 polymorphisms in sporadic North Indian breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential association of five (p.P47S, p.R72P, PIN3 Ins16bp, p.R213R and r.13494g>a) polymorphisms of TP53 with the risk of developing breast cancer in North Indian Punjabi population.

METHODS

We screened DNA samples of 200 sporadic breast cancer patients (197 females and 3 males) and 200 unrelated healthy, gender and age matched individuals for the polymorphisms.

RESULTS

For the p.P47S polymorphism, we observed the PP genotype in 99.5% of the patients and PS genotype in only 1 patient. All the controls had the wild type PP genotype. The frequency of RR, RP and PP genotype of p.R72P was 23.5% vs 33.5%, 51.5% vs 45.5% and 25% vs 21% in patients and controls respectively. Heterozygous (RP) genotype was increased in breast cancer patients as compared to controls (51.5 vs 45.5%) and showed 1.61 fold significantly increased risk for breast cancer (OR=1.61, 95% CI, 1.01-2.58, p=0.04). In breast cancer patients the frequencies of A1A1, A1A2 and A2A2 genotypes of PIN3 Ins16bp polymorphism were 67%, 26% and 7% respectively whereas in controls the genotype frequencies were 68.5%, 27.5% and 4% respectively, with no significant difference. For p.R213R (c.639A>G), all individuals had homozygous wild type genotype. The frequencies of GG, GA and AA genotypes of TP53 r.13494g>a polymorphism were 62 vs 67.5%, 33 vs 28% and 5 vs 4.5% in patients and controls respectively, again without significant difference. We observed that RP- A1A1 genotype combination of p.R72P and PIN3 Ins16bp and RP-GG combination of p.R72P and r.13494g>a polymorphism showed significant risk of breast cancer (OR=1.65, 95%CI: 0.98-2.78, p=0.05; OR=1.72, 95%CI: 1.01-2.92, p=0.04).

CONCLUSION

The results of present study indicated that among the five TP53 polymorphisms investigated, the p.R72P polymorphism, and the RP-A1A1 and RP-GG genotype combination contribute to breast cancer susceptibility in North Indians.

No Association between the CCR5Δ32 Polymorphism and Sporadic Esophageal Cancer in Punjab, North-West India

BACKGROUND

Chemokines and their receptors influence carcinogenesis and cysteine-cysteine chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) directs spread of cancer to other tissues. A 32 base pair deletion in the coding region of CCR5 that might alter the expression or function of the protein has been implicated in a variety of immune-mediated diseases. The action of antiviral drugs being proposed as adjuvant therapy in cancer is dependent on CCR5 wild type status. In the present study, distribution of CCR5Δ32 polymorphism was assessed in North Indian esophageal cancer patients to explore the potential of using chemokine receptors antagonists as adjuvant therapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

DNA samples of 175 sporadic esophageal cancer patients (69 males and 106 females) and 175 unrelated healthy control individuals (69 males and 106 females) were screened for the CCR5Δ32 polymorphism by direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

RESULTS

The frequencies of wild type homozygous (CCR5/CCR5), heterozygous (CCR5/Δ32) and homozygous mutant (Δ32/Δ32) genotypes were 96.0 vs 97.72%, 4.0 vs 1.71% and 0 vs 0.57% in patients and controls respectively. There was no difference in the genotype and allele frequencies of CCR5Δ32 polymorphism in esophageal cancer patients and control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The CCR5Δ32 polymorphism is not associated with esophageal cancer in North Indians. As the majority of patients express the wild type allele, there is potential of using antiviral drug therapy as adjuvant therapy.

Lack of association of intron 3 16 bp polymorphism of TP53 with breast cancer among Iranian-Azeri patients

BACKGROUND

p53 gene is a well-known tumor suppressor gene that has several polymorphisms in both its exons and introns. It has been suggested that intron 3 16 bp duplication polymorphism may affect the gene function resulting in reduction or suppression of p53 anti tumor activity. In most case control studies a duplicated allele has been noticeably more frequent in cases rather than controls but there are also conflicting results. The aim of this study was to assess the association of intron 3 16 bp duplication polymorphism of p53 with breast cancer risk among Iranian-Azeri population. We also analyzed the clinicopathological information of patients as an epidemiological description of breast cancer in the north-west of Iran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This case-control study was performed on 221 breast cancer patients and 170 controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and tumor tissues. p53 PIN3 genotype was determined using electrophoresis of PCR products on 8% non-denaturing polyacrylamide gels and silver staining.

RESULTS

In the control and case groups, respectively, 62.9% and 61.1% had no 16 bp insertion (A1A1 genotype), 7.1% and 7.7% had insertion in both p53 alleles (A2A2) and 30% and 31.2% were heterozygous (A1A2). There was no significant difference between genotype frequencies as well as allelic frequencies in two case and control groups.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the result of the present study, the intron 3 16 bp duplication polymorphism of p53 could not be assessed as a marker of risk factor for predisposition to breast cancer in Azeri population. However, a high frequency of A2 allele (22.1%) in our population suggested that intron 3 16 bp duplication polymorphism may be a valuable marker for study in other cancers with well designed large groups.

PIN3 duplication may be partially responsible for TP53 haploinsufficiency

BACKGROUND

Previously we have suggested that cancer cells develop a mechanism(s) which allows for either: silencing of the wild-type TP53 transcription, degradation of the wild-type TP53 mRNA, or selective overproduction of the mutated TP53 mRNA, which is the subject of this article. Sequencing of TP53 on the respective cDNA and DNA templates from tumor samples were found to give discordant results. DNA analysis showed a pattern of heterozygous mutations, whereas the analysis of cDNA demonstrated the mutated template only. We hypothesized that different TP53 gene expression levels of each allele may be caused by the polymorphism within intron 3 (PIN3). The aim of this study was to test if one of the polymorphic variants of PIN3 (A1 or A2) in the heterozygotes is associated with a higher TP53 expression, and therefore, responsible for the haploinsufficiency phenomenon.

METHODS

250 tumor samples were tested. To analyze the involvement of PIN3 polymorphic variant (A1 or A2) on TP53 mRNA expression regulation, bacterial subcloning combined with sequencing analyses, dual luciferase reporter assays and bioinformatic analysis were performed.

RESULTS

Haplotype analysis showed the predominance of the mutated template during the cDNA sequencing in all samples showing a heterozygous TP53 mutation and PIN3 heterozygosity. Out of 30 samples (from the total of 250 tested samples) which carried TP53 mutations and had a bias in allelic expression 6 were heterozygous for the A1/A2 polymorphism, and all 6 (p = 0.04) samples carried the mutation within the PIN3 longer allele (A2). Reporter assays revealed higher luciferase activity in cells transfected with the plasmid containing A2 construct than A1 and control. A2/A1 ratio ranged from 1.16 for AD293 cell line (p = 0.019) to 1.59 for SW962 cell line (p = 0.0019). Moreover, bioinformatic analyses showed that PIN3 duplication stabilized secondary DNA structures - G-quadruplexes.

CONCLUSION

TP53 alleles are not equivalent for their impact on the regulation of expression of TP53 mRNA. Therefore, in PIN3-heterozygous cases a single TP53 mutation of the longer allele might sufficiently destabilize its function. Secondary DNA structures such as quadruplexes can also play a role in PIN3-dependent TP53 haploinsufficiency.

Association between chemokine receptor 5 delta32 polymorphism and susceptibility to cancer: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To explore whether the functional chemokine receptor 5 delta32 (CCR5-Δ32) polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to cancer.

METHODS

A meta-analysis was conducted on the association between the CCR5-Δ32 polymorphism and cancer using (i) allele contrast and (ii) the dominant model.

RESULTS

Thirteen articles, including 16 comparative studies on a total of 3087 patients and 3735 controls, were included in the meta-analysis. These studies encompassed breast cancer (n = 3), bladder cancer (n = 3), cervical cancer (n = 2), pancreatic cancer (n = 2), prostate cancer (n = 2), head and neck cancer (n = 2), lymphoma (n = 1), gallbladder cancer (n = 1), skin cancer (n = 1) and mixed cancer (n = 1). The meta-analysis revealed an association between cancer and the CCR5-Δ32 allele (OR = 1.368, 95% CI = 1.064-1.758, p = 0.014), and stratification by ethnicity showed an association between the CCR5-Δ32 allele and cancer in Indians (OR = 2.480, 95% CI = 1.247-4.932, p = 0.010). The meta-analysis also revealed an association between breast cancer and the CCR5-Δ32 allele (OR = 1.689, 95% CI = 1.012-2.821, p = 0.045). However, allele contrast and the dominant model failed to reveal an association between the CCR5-Δ32 polymorphism and bladder cancer, cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and head and neck cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis demonstrates that the CCR5-Δ32 polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to cancer in Indians and is associated with breast cancer.

Association of TP53 PIN3 polymorphism with breast cancer in Moroccan population

TP53 is a tumor suppressor gene involved in cell cycle progression control, DNA damage repair, genomic stability, and apoptosis. Some polymorphisms in this gene have been associated with the development of a number of cancers including breast carcinoma. PIN3 Ins16bp polymorphism has been widely studied in different populations for an association with breast cancer risk. In most case-control studies, a duplicated allele has been more frequent in cases rather than controls but there are also inconsistent results. The present study aimed to assess the association of PIN3 Ins16bp polymorphism of p53 with breast cancer risk in Moroccan population. This case-control study was performed on 105 female patients with confirmed breast cancer and 114 healthy controls. The genotype frequency was 69.5 % (A1A1), 26.7 % (A1A2), and 3.8 % (A2A2) in patients and 68.4 % (A1A1), 24.6 % (A1A2), and 7 % (A2A2) in controls. No statistically significant association was observed between PIN3 Ins16bp polymorphism and breast cancer risk with odds ratio of 1.07 (confidence interval (CI) = 0.58-1.97, p = 0.83) for the heterozygous A1A2 and 0.53 (CI = 0.15-1.85, p = 0.32) for mutated homozygous A2A2.According to our preliminary genetic analysis, PIN3 Ins16pb polymorphism could not be assessed as a marker of risk factor for predisposition to breast cancer in Moroccan population. However, a high frequency of A2 allele (19.3 %) in our population suggested that PIN3 Ins16pb polymorphism may be a valuable marker for study in other cancers with larger groups.

Absence of Association between CCR5 rs333 Polymorphism and Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a malignant disorder that originates from one single hematopoietic precursor committed to B- or T-cell lineage. Ordinarily, these cells express CCR5 chemokine receptor, which directs the immune response to a cellular pattern and is involved in cancer pathobiology. The genetic rs333 polymorphism of CCR5 (Δ32), results in a diminished receptor expression, thus leading to impaired cell trafficking. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of CCR5 chemokine receptor rs333 polymorphism in the pathogenesis of ALL. The genotype distribution was studied in 79 patients and compared with 80 control subjects, in a childhood population of Southern Brazil. Genotyping was performed using DNA samples amplified by polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP). The homozygous (Δ32/Δ32) deletion was not observed in any subject involved in the study. Heterozygous genotype was not associated with ALL risk (OR 0.7%; 95% CI 0.21–2.32; P > 0.05), nor recurrence status of ALL (OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.13–5.48; P > 0.05). This work demonstrated, for the first time, no significant differences in the frequency of the CCR5/Δ32 genotype between ALL and control groups, indicating no effect of this genetic variant on the ALL susceptibility and recurrence risk.