D Allele Frequency in Insertion/Deletion Polymorphism of the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Gene is Associated with Development of Breast Cancer Risk in Indian Women

Insertion/deletion polymorphism at angiotensin-converting enzyme gene in PTSD individuals and their reciprocal effects on blood pressure

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present study was to investigate relationships between insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism at angiotensin-converting enzyme gene (ACE) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as their interactions on blood pressure.

METHODS

Variants of ACE I/D were identified by polymerase chain reaction method and verified by DNA sequencing. PTSD symptoms were assessed by the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) based on DSM-IV-TR criteria among high school students at 6 months after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.

RESULTS

Female subjects were found to have higher prevalence of PTSD and PCL-C scores than male counterparts in the II homozygotes (p = .038 for PTSD and p = .003 for PCL-C scores) and the ID heterozygotes (p = .000 for PTSD and p = .000 for PCL-C scores), but not in the DD homozygotes. Male subjects with the ID (p = .046) or the DD genotype (p = .039) had lower pulse pressure (PP) than the male II homozygotes, while the female II homozygotes had lower diastolic blood pressure (DBP) than the female DD homozygotes (p = .036). ACE I/D, PTSD, or PCL-C scores, as well as gender and BMI, were found to be the predictors of PP.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that there are interactions of ACE I/D and PTSD, together with gender and BMI, on PP. This finding may be the additional explanation for the heterogeneous relationships between PTSD and blood pressure, and suggest psychiatry care and different medication strategies for patients with comorbidities of PTSD and hypertension and with different genotypes of ACE I/D.

Association of ACE I/D, -240A > T and AT1R A1166C polymorphisms with susceptibility to breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis based on 35 case-control studies

The objective of this meta-analysis was to estimate the association of ACE I/D, -240 A > T and AT1R 1166 A > C polymorphisms with breast cancer (BC) risk. A comprehensive search on databases was conducted to identify all eligible case-control studies. Finally, 35 case-control studies, including 20 studies for ACE I/D, seven studies for ACE 240 A > T, and eight studies for AT1R 1166 A > C were included. The pooled analysis showed a significant association between ACE I/D polymorphism and BC risk under three genetic models, i.e., heterozygote (ID vs. DD: OR = 0.707, 95% CI 0.528-0.946, p = 0.020), homozygote (II vs. DD: OR = 0.662, 95% CI 0.462-0.947, p = 0.024), and dominant (II + ID vs. DD: OR = 0.691, 95% CI 0.507-0.941, p = 0.019). A significant association was also observed in ACE I/D polymorphism with BC risk among Asians and Caucasians. However, ACE -240 A > T and AT1R 1166 A > C polymorphisms were not associated with BC. Stratified analyses by ethnicity showed a significant association of ACE -240 A > T and AT1R 1166 A > C polymorphisms with BC risk in Latinos populations, but not in Asians. This meta-analysis inconsistence with all previous meta-analyses suggests that the ACE I/D might be associated with BC in overall and by ethnicity. However, the ACE -240 A > T and AT1R 1166 A > C were associated with BC risk only among Latinos populations.