Association between lung cancer risk and single nucleotide polymorphisms in the first intron and codon 178 of the DNA repair gene,O6-alkylguanine–DNA alkyltransferase

AID, APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B efficiently deaminate deoxycytidines neighboring DNA damage induced by oxidation or alkylation

BACKGROUND

AID/APOBEC3 (A3) enzymes instigate genomic mutations that are involved in immunity and cancer. Although they can deaminate any deoxycytidine (dC) to deoxyuridine (dU), each family member has a signature preference determined by nucleotides surrounding the target dC. This WRC (W = A/T, R = A/G) and YC (Y = T/C) hotspot preference is established for AID and A3A/A3B, respectively. Base alkylation and oxidation are two of the most common types of DNA damage induced environmentally or by chemotherapy. Here we examined the activity of AID, A3A and A3B on dCs neighboring such damaged bases.

METHODS

Substrates were designed to contain target dCs either in normal WRC/YC hotspots, or in oxidized/alkylated DNA motifs. AID, A3A and A3B were purified and deamination kinetics of each were compared between substrates containing damaged vs. normal motifs.

RESULTS

All three enzymes efficiently deaminated dC when common damaged bases were present in the -2 or -1 positions. Strikingly, some damaged motifs supported comparable or higher catalytic efficiencies by AID, A3A and A3B than the WRC/YC motifs which are their most favored normal sequences. Based on the resolved interactions of AID, A3A and A3B with DNA, we modeled interactions with alkylated or oxidized bases. Corroborating the enzyme assay data, the surface regions that recognize normal bases are predicted to also interact robustly with oxidized and alkylated bases.

CONCLUSIONS

AID, A3A and A3B can efficiently recognize and deaminate dC whose neighbouring nucleotides are damaged.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

Beyond AID/A3s initiating DNA damage, some forms of pre-existing damaged DNA can constitute favored targets of AID/A3s if encountered.

Abnormal MGMT promoter methylation may contribute to the risk of esophageal cancer: a meta-analysis of cohort studies

This meta-analysis was conducted aiming to evaluate the relationship between abnormal O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation and the risk of esophageal cancer (EC). A range of electronic databases was searched: Web of Science (1945 ~ 2013), the Cochrane Library Database (Issue 12, 2013), MEDLINE (1966 ~ 2013), EMBASE (1980 ~ 2013), CINAHL (1982 ~ 2013), and the Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM) (1982 ~ 2013) without language restrictions. Meta-analysis was performed with the use of the STATA 12.0 software. In the present meta-analysis, 9 clinical cohort studies with a total of 861 EC patients were included. The pooled results revealed that the frequency of MGMT promoter methylation in cancer tissues was significantly higher than in adjacent and normal tissues (cancer tissues vs adjacent tissues, odds ratio (OR) = 6.73, 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI) 4.75 ~ 9.55, P < 0.001; cancer tissues vs normal tissues, OR = 13.68, 95 % CI 9.47 ~ 19.75, P < 0.001, respectively). Subgroup analyses by pathological type, ethnicity, and sample size suggested that abnormal MGMT promoter methylation also exhibited a higher frequency in all these subgroups (all P < 0.05). Our findings provide empirical evidence that abnormal MGMT promoter methylation may contribute to the risk of EC. Thus, detection of MGMT promoter methylation may be utilized as a valuable diagnostic marker for EC.

Icb-1 gene polymorphism rs1467465 is associated with susceptibility to ovarian cancer

In this study, we tested the hypothesis that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of differentiation-associated human gene icb-1 (C1orf38) may be associated with ovarian cancer susceptibility. For this purpose, we compared the genotype and allele frequencies of the SNPs rs1467465 and rs12048235 in a group of 184 ovarian cancer patients with a control group of 184 age- and gender-matched women without any malignancy. Genotype-phenotype association revealed that A allele of SNP rs1467465 was more frequent in ovarian cancer patients than in the control group (0.40 vs. 0.33, OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.013-1.853, p = 0.04). After analysis of allele positivity we observed that A-positive genotypes were more frequent in the ovarian cancer group (0.65 vs. 0.53, OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.072-2.483, p = 0.02). Furthermore, the heterozygous genotype of rs1467465 was found to be more frequent in the patients group (0.50 vs. 0.41, OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.045-2.045, p = 0.03). No significant results were obtained with regard to SNP rs1204823. Our data suggest, that SNP rs1467465 of human gene icb-1 might affect susceptibility to ovarian cancer.

MGMT Leu84Phe polymorphism contributes to cancer susceptibility: evidence from 44 case-control studies

Background

O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase is one of the few proteins to directly remove alkylating agents in the human DNA direct reversal repair pathway. A large number of case-control studies have been conducted to explore the association between MGMT Leu84Phe polymorphism and cancer risk. However, the results were not consistent.

Methods

We carried out a meta-analysis of 44 case-control studies to clarify the association between the Leu84Phe polymorphism and cancer risk.

Results

Overall, significant association of the T allele with cancer susceptibility was verified with meta-analysis under a recessive genetic model (P<0.001, OR=1.30, 95%CI 1.24-1.50) and TT versus CC comparison (P=0.001, OR=1.29, 95% CI 1.12-1.50). In subgroup analysis, a significant increased risk was found for lung cancer (TT versus CC, P=0.027, OR=1.67, 95% CI 1.06-2.63; recessive genetic model, P=0.32, OR=1.64, 95% CI 1.04-2.58), whereas risk of colorectal cancer was significantly low under a dominant genetic model (P=0.019, OR=0.84, 95% CI 0.72-0.97). Additionally, a significant association between TT genetic model and total cancer risk was found in the Caucasian population (TT versus CC, P=0.014, OR=1.29, 95% CI 1.05-1.59; recessive genetic model, P=0.009, OR=1.31, 95% CI 1.07-1.61), but not in the Asian population. An increased risk for lung cancer was also verified in the Caucasian population (TT versus CC, P=0.035, OR=1.62, 95% CI 1.04-2.53; recessive genetic model, P=0.048, OR=1.57, 95% CI 1.01-2.45).

Conclusions

These results suggest that MGMT Leu84Phe polymorphism might contribute to the susceptibility of certain cancers.

The polymorphisms in the MGMT gene and the risk of cancer: a meta-analysis

Polymorphisms in the MGMT gene have been implicated in susceptibility to cancer, but the published studies have reported inconclusive results. The objective of the current study was to investigate the genetic risk of polymorphisms in the MGMT gene for cancer. A meta-analysis was carried out to analyze the association between polymorphisms in the MGMT gene and cancer risk. Five polymorphisms (Leu84Phe, Leu53Leu, Ile143Val, Lys178Arg, and -485C/A) with 98 case-control studies from 49 articles were analyzed. The results indicated that individuals who carried the Phe/Phe homozygote genotype of Leu84Phe had a 31 % increased risk of cancer compared with the Leu allele (Leu + Leu/Phe) carriers (odds ratio [OR] = 1.32, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.15-1.52, P < 0.0001 for Phe/Phe vs. Phe/Leu + Leu/Leu). However, there was no significant association between the risk of cancer and the other four polymorphisms (Leu53Leu, Ile143Val, Lys178Arg, and -485C/A). In further stratified analyses for the Leu84Phe and Ile143Val polymorphisms, the increased risk of cancer remained in subgroups of Caucasians, patients with esophageal cancer for the Leu84Phe polymorphism, and patients with lung cancer for the Ile143Val polymorphism. Results from the current meta-analysis suggested that Leu84Phe and Ile143Val in the MGMT gene are risk factors for cancer. In the future, more studies should be performed to validate our results.

Genetic Variants in MMP9 and TCF2 Contribute to Susceptibility to Lung Cancer

OBJECTIVE

The Wnt signaling pathway is crucial for pulmonary development and differentiation; dysregulation of the Wnt signaling pathway may impair lung function. Indeed, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Wnt pathway-related genes have been suggested as risk factors for certain types of cancers. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the influence of SNPs in Wnt-related genes (TCF2, MMP9) on susceptibility to lung cancer.

METHODS

Polymorphisms of TCF2 rs4430796, MMP9 rs2250889, and MMP9 rs17576 were studied in Han Chinese subjects, including 135 patients with lung cancer and 176 controls, using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. The association of genotypes with susceptibility to lung cancer was analyzed using odds ratio (OR), with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) and χ(2).

RESULTS

The three SNPs (rs4430796, rs2250889, and rs17576) were found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. The AA genotype and AG+AA genotype of rs4430796 showed a significantly increased susceptibility to lung cancer compared with the GG genotype (adjusted OR=6.03, 95% CI: 1.30-28.09, P=0.022; 5.55, 95% CI: 1.20-25.58, P=0.028). Compared with the rs17576 GG genotype, the AG and AG+AA genotypes were also associated with a significant risk (adjusted OR=2.65, 95% CI: 1.60-4.37, P≤0.001; 2.57, 95% CI: 1.59-4.19, P≤0.001) whereas the rs2250889 CG and CG+GG genotypes had 2.97-fold (95% CI: 1.81-4.85; P≤0.001) and 2.80-fold increased associations with lung cancer (95% CI: 1.73-4.54; P≤0.001), respectively, compared with the rs2250889 CC genotype. Furthermore, the association of rs4430796 with lung cancer became insignificant (P>0.05) after adjusting for gender and rs2250889.

CONCLUSION

The three SNPs may play a role in the predisposition of members of the Han Chinese population to lung cancer.

O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT): impact on cancer risk in response to tobacco smoke

Tobacco, smoked, snuffed and chewed, contains powerful mutagens and carcinogens. At least three of them, N-dimethylnitrosamine, N'-nitrosonornicotine and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone, attack DNA at the O(6)-position of guanine. The resulting O(6)-alkylguanine adducts are repaired by the suicide enzyme O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), which is known to protect against the mutagenic, genotoxic and carcinogenic effects of monofunctional alkylating agents. While in rat liver MGMT was shown to be subject to regulation by genotoxic stress leading to adaptive changes in its activity, in humans evidence of adaptive modulation of MGMT levels is still lacking. Several polymorphisms are known, which are suspected to impact on the risk of developing cancer. In this review we focus on three questions: (a) Has tobacco consumption by smoking or chewing an impact on MGMT expression and MGMT promoter methylation in normal and tumor tissue? (b) Is there an association between MGMT polymorphisms and cancer risk and is this risk related to smoking? (c) Does MGMT protect against tobacco-associated cancer? There are several lines of evidence for an increase of MGMT activity in the normal tissue of smokers compared to non-smokers. Furthermore, in tumors developed in smokers a tendency towards an increase of MGMT expression was found. The data points to the possibility that agents in tobacco smoke are able to trigger upregulation of MGMT in normal and tumor tissue. For MGMT promoter methylation data is conflicting. There is some evidence for an association between MGMT polymorphisms and smoking-induced cancer risk. The key question whether or not MGMT protects against tobacco smoke-induced cancer is difficult to answer since prospective studies on smokers versus non-smokers are lacking and appropriate animal studies with MGMT transgenic mice exposed to the complex mixture of tobacco smoke have not been performed, which indicates the need for further explorations.

Multifaceted roles of alkyltransferase and related proteins in DNA repair, DNA damage, resistance to chemotherapy, and research tools

O(6)-Alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) is a widely distributed, unique DNA repair protein that acts as a single agent to directly remove alkyl groups located on the O(6)-position of guanine from DNA restoring the DNA in one step. The protein acts only once, and its alkylated form is degraded rapidly. It is a major factor in counteracting the mutagenic, carcinogenic, and cytotoxic effects of agents that form such adducts including N-nitroso-compounds and a number of cancer chemotherapeutics. This review describes the structure, function, and mechanism of action of AGTs and of a family of related alkyltransferase-like proteins, which do not act alone to repair O(6)-alkylguanines in DNA but link repair to other pathways. The paradoxical ability of AGTs to stimulate the DNA-damaging ability of dihaloalkanes and other bis-electrophiles via the formation of AGT-DNA cross-links is also described. Other important properties of AGTs include the ability to provide resistance to cancer therapeutic alkylating agents, and the availability of AGT inhibitors such as O(6)-benzylguanine that might overcome this resistance is discussed. Finally, the properties of fusion proteins in which AGT sequences are linked to other proteins are outlined. Such proteins occur naturally, and synthetic variants engineered to react specifically with derivatives of O(6)-benzylguanine are the basis of a valuable research technique for tagging proteins with specific reagents.

Genotoxic thresholds, DNA repair, and susceptibility in human populations

It has been long assumed that DNA damage is induced in a linear manner with respect to the dose of a direct acting genotoxin. Thus, it is implied that direct acting genotoxic agents induce DNA damage at even the lowest of concentrations and that no "safe" dose range exists. The linear (non-threshold) paradigm has led to the one-hit model being developed. This "one hit" scenario can be interpreted such that a single DNA damaging event in a cell has the capability to induce a single point mutation in that cell which could (if positioned in a key growth controlling gene) lead to increased proliferation, leading ultimately to the formation of a tumour. There are many groups (including our own) who, for a decade or more, have argued, that low dose exposures to direct acting genotoxins may be tolerated by cells through homeostatic mechanisms such as DNA repair. This argument stems from the existence of evolutionary adaptive mechanisms that allow organisms to adapt to low levels of exogenous sources of genotoxins. We have been particularly interested in the genotoxic effects of known mutagens at low dose exposures in human cells and have identified for the first time, in vitro genotoxic thresholds for several mutagenic alkylating agents (Doak et al., 2007). Our working hypothesis is that DNA repair is primarily responsible for these thresholded effects at low doses by removing low levels of DNA damage but becoming saturated at higher doses. We are currently assessing the roles of base excision repair (BER) and methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) for roles in the identified thresholds (Doak et al., 2008). This research area is currently important as it assesses whether "safe" exposure levels to mutagenic chemicals can exist and allows risk assessment using appropriate safety factors to define such exposure levels. Given human variation, the mechanistic basis for genotoxic thresholds (e.g. DNA repair) has to be well defined in order that susceptible individuals are considered. In terms of industrial exposures to known mutagens, knowing the dose relationships and protective mechanisms involved, offers the possibility of screening workers for susceptibility to mutation through examining DNA repair gene polymorphisms. Hence, thresholds may exist for certain mutagens, but there will undoubtedly be human subpopulations who are more at risk from low dose exposures than others and who should not be exposed, if possible. By studying polymorphisms in DNA repair genes, susceptible individuals may be identified, and additional safety factors appropriately targeted to these populations.

Effects of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) polymorphisms on cancer: a meta-analysis

O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase is one of the rare proteins to directly remove alkylating agents in the human DNA direct reversal repair pathway. Its two common single-nucleotide polymorphisms, Leu84Phe and Ile143Val, had previously been identified to contribute to susceptibility of cancer. However, there are conflicting results in studies on the association of the two polymorphisms with cancer. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to clarify the paradox with a large collected sample (13,069 cancer patients and 20,290 controls). We found significant association between the T allele (84Phe) and cancer risk, under the recessive genetic model [P = 0.023, odds ratio (OR) = 1.251, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.031-1.517, P(heterogeneity) = 0.270], TT versus CC comparison (P = 0.035, OR = 1.239, 95% CI 1.015-1.511, P(heterogeneity) = 0.225) and TT versus CT comparison (P = 0.007, OR = 1.292, 95% CI 1.071-1.559, P(heterogeneity) = 0.374), using the random-effect model. In the ethnicity subgroup analysis, a significant association with cancer among Caucasians was found under the recessive genetic model, homozygote comparison and TT versus TC comparison. In the tumour sites subgroup analysis, only the protective effects of Leu84Phe polymorphism were found in colorectal cancer, under CT versus CC comparison. No significant association between the G allele of Ile143Val and cancer risk was found. The G allele showed an increased lung cancer risk under the dominant genetic model and AG versus AA comparison in all Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium subjects, only when the fixed-effect model was used. However, it was insignificant in the random-effect model.

Prognostic significance of molecular markers and extent of resection in primary glioblastoma patients

PURPOSE

Despite multimodal aggressive treatment glioblastoma patients still face a rather poor prognosis. Recent data indicate that certain molecular markers, in particular MGMT promoter hypermethylation, are associated with response to alkylating chemotherapy and longer survival. The clinical significance of other glioblastoma-associated molecular aberrations and their relationship to MGMT promoter hypermethylation is still poorly understood.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

We conducted a translational study involving 67 newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients treated at our institution from 1998 to 2004. All patients were treated by open resection, followed by radiotherapy and adjuvant temozolomide chemotherapy. The tumors were investigated for MGMT promoter methylation, mRNA and protein expression, as well as presence of MGMT sequence polymorphisms. In addition, we screened for genetic aberrations of the EGFR, TP53, CDK4, MDM2, and PDGFRA genes as well as allelic losses on chromosomal arms 1p, 10q, and 19q.

RESULTS

Correlation of molecular findings with clinical data revealed significantly longer time to progression after onset of chemotherapy and longer overall survival of patients with MGMT-hypermethylated tumors. In contrast, MGMT protein expression, MGMT polymorphisms, and aberrations in any of the other genes and chromosomes were not significantly linked to patient outcome. Multivariate analysis identified MGMT promoter hypermethylation and near-complete tumor resection as the most important parameters associated with better prognosis.

CONCLUSION

Our study provides novel insights into the significance of molecular and clinical markers in predicting the prognosis of glioblastoma patients, which may improve stratification of patients into distinct prognostic subgroups.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in human gene icb-1 and breast cancer susceptibility

In this study, we tested the hypothesis that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of differentiation-associated human gene icb-1 (C1orf38) may be associated with breast cancer susceptibility. A total of 646 women--323 breast cancer cases and just as many controls--were included. Breast cancer patients more frequently carried the homozygous genotype AA of SNP rs1467465 than did healthy women. Analysis of allele positivity revealed that AG or GG genotypes were significantly less frequent in breast cancer patients, suggesting that presence of G allele might have protective effects. Our data suggest that SNP rs1467465 of human gene icb-1 might affect breast cancer susceptibility.