XRCC1 polymorphisms and risk of colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis

Association between ERCC1 Gene Polymorphism (rs11615) and Colorectal Cancer Susceptibility: A Meta-Analysis of Medical Image Fusion and Safety Applications

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant tumor of the colorectal mucosa epithelial tissue transformed. The fusion of data for medical imaging has become a central issue in such biomedical applications as image-guided surgery and radiotherapy. Currently, CRC has been one of the most threatening tumors affecting people's health worldwide. The excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) is a key enzyme for nucleotide excision repair (NER). Emerging epidemiological studies have indicated that the presence of colorectal cancer (CRC) may be relevant to the ERCC1 rs11615 genetic polymorphism. However, the results of ERCC1 rs11615 on CRC in these studies are controversial. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CNKI, and CBM databases for the effects of ERCC1 rs11615 variant on CRC development. There was no meta-analysis focused on the diagnosis of colorectal cancer with ERCC1 rs11615 variant. We creatively carried out a meta-analysis of nine case-control studies and used Stata (version 12.0) software to integrate the pooled odds ratios (ORs) corresponding to a 95% confidence interval (CI) of overall and subgroup analysis. Our results suggest that a significant correlation was observed between rs11615 and the susceptibility of CRC OR 95% CI = 1.13 (1.04-1.23) under an allele genetic model and OR 95% CI = 1.14 (1.01-1.30) under a dominant genetic model for overall CRC. Significant statistical difference was also noted in Asians rather than Caucasians based on the ethnicity subgroups. These results suggested that there is a certain association between rs11615 and the susceptibility of colorectal cancer in the Asian populations.

The independent and combined effects of selected risk factors and Arg399Gln XRCC1 polymorphism in the risk of colorectal cancer among an Iranian population

Background: Several environmental and genetic factors have contributed to the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). We aimed to investigate the independent and combined effects of some selected risk factors and Arg399Gln XRCC1 polymorphism on CRC.

Methods: A total of 180 patients with CRC and 160 healthy individuals who were matched for sex, age, and place of residence (Northeast of Iran) participated in this case-control study. Before collecting blood samples and filling out questionnaires, a written consent form was obtained from all participants. Genotypes were determined by RFLP-PCR. The comparison of genotype and allele frequencies was performed using p value based on the results of chi-square test. The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by employing a logistic regression model. All statistical calculations were performed using SPSS. Each of the 2- sided p values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results: The level of literacy, physical activity, consumption of vegetables and fruits, and tea intake of the patients were significantly lower than healthy individuals, but gastrointestinal disorders, family history of cancer, BMI, and fast food consumption were significantly higher in cases than in controls. No significant difference was observed between the 2 groups regarding smoking, opioid addiction, alcohol consumption, diet, fish consumption, and liquid intake, using the kitchen hood, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Arg/Gln + Gln/Gln and Arg/Gln genotypes were involved in increased CRC risk (The crude OR =1.781 with a 95% CI of 1.156-2.744 and OR = 1.690 with a 95% CI of 0.787-3.630). Also, Gln/Gln genotype was more frequent in CRC group than in control group. However, none of the risk factors interacted with polymorphism, and thus did not have an effect on CRC.

Conclusion: Some risk factors, such as reducing the consumption of vegetables and fruits or reducing physical activity as well as polymorphism of the XRCC1 Arg399Gln alone, increase the risk of CRC, but they do not interact with each other.

Distribution of nucleotide variants in the DNA sequence of ERCC1 and XRCC1 genes and the effect of phenotype in patients with gastric cancer

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Gastric cancers vary across countries and ethnic groups. They are the second most common type of cancer worldwide. Dietary and non-dietary factors as well as genetic and epigenetic alterations of many mechanisms are implicated in the development of gastric cancer. We aimed to determine the sequence of possible nucleotide changes, polymorphisms, and mutations, and to establish genotype and phenotype relation by performing whole DNA sequence analysis of the XRCC1 and ERCC1 genes belonging to base excision repair (BER) and nucleotide excision repair (NER) family of DNA repair genes in patients with gastric cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We included 50 patients of both sexes who had received diagnosis of gastric cancer and 50 healthy people who showed same demographic traits that forms the control group. We analyzed the ERCC1 and XRCC1 genes by DNA sequence analysis on both groups. After the analysis, we compared the genotype-phenotype relation.

RESULTS

Neither patients nor the control group has any nucleotide replacement in any exon of ERCC1 genes. We could not detect significant difference between patients and healthy groups when we correlated genotype contribution of mutations Arg194Trp, Arg208His, Arg399Gln detected in the XRCC1 gene and allele frequency.

CONCLUSION

According to our study, the ERCC1 gene in Turkish population is not getting mutation in patients with gastric cancer and healthy individuals. Three mutations were detected in the XRCC1 gene, and these mutations were not associated with gastric cancer.

Oxidative stress and deregulations in base excision repair pathway as contributors to gallbladder anomalies and carcinoma - a study involving North-East Indian population

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a fatal condition with dismal prognosis and aggressive local invasiveness; and with uncharacterised molecular pathology relating to non-specific therapeutic modalities. Given the importance of oxidative stress in chronic diseases and carcinogenesis, and the lacunae in literature regarding its role in gallbladder diseases, this study aimed to study the involvement of oxidative stress and deregulation in the base excision repair (BER) pathway in the pathogenesis of gallbladder diseases including GBC. This study involved patients from the North-East Indian population, where the numbers of reported cases are increasing rapidly and alarmingly. Oxidative stress, based on 8-OH-dG levels, was found to be significantly higher in gallbladder anomalies (cholelithiasis [CL] and cholecystitis [CS]) and GBC at the plasma and DNA level, and was associated with GBC severity. The expressions of key BER pathway genes were downregulated in gallbladder anomalies and GBC compared to controls, and in GBC compared to both non-neoplastic controls and gallbladder anomalies. Expression of XRCC1 and hOGG1 was significantly associated with both susceptibility and severity of GBC. The XRCC1 codon280 polymorphism was associated with disease susceptibility; and significantly higher oxidative stress was observed in hOGG1 genotypic variants. The genomes of GBC patients were found to be more hypermethylated compared to controls, with the promoters of XRCC1 and hOGG1 being hypermethylated and, therefore, being silenced. This study underlined the prognostic significance of the oxidative stress marker 8-OH-dG and BER pathway genes, especially hOGG1 and XRCC1, in gallbladder anomalies and GBC, as well as stated their potential for therapeutic targeting.

Lack of correlation between X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 gene polymorphisms and the susceptibility to colorectal cancer in a Malaysian cohort

X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) is one of the key components in the base excision repair pathway that repairs erroneous DNA lesions and removes nonbulky base adducts for the maintenance of genome integrity. Studies have revealed that differences in individual DNA repair capacity can impact the interindividual variation in cancer susceptibility, tumour aggressiveness and treatment response. The relationship between XRCC1 and sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) susceptibility, which is hitherto inconclusive, has been explored in many association studies of different populations. In view of the conflicting findings generated, we aimed to investigate the association between XRCC1 and genetic predisposition to CRC among Malaysians. The present case-control association study was conducted on 130 CRC patients and 212 age-matched healthy controls. The genotyping of XRCC1 Arg194Trp, Arg280His and Arg399Gln single nucleotide polymorphisms was performed with allele-specific real-time PCR approach. This was followed by basic statistical analysis on the single nucleotide polymorphisms and haplotype data obtained. No significant difference in the allele and genotype frequencies was observed between CRC patients and healthy controls (P>0.05). There was also no association observed between XRCC1 haplotypes and CRC (P>0.05). In conclusion, a positive association between XRCC1 gene polymorphisms and CRC risk was not established in our Malaysian population.

Association of XRCC1 Arg399Gln Polymorphism with Colorectal Cancer Risk: A HuGE Meta Analysis of 35 Studies

BACKGROUND

Non-synonymous polymorphisms in XRCC1 hase been shown to reduce effectiveness of DNA repair and be associated with risk of certain cancers. In this study we aimed to clarify any association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk by performing a meta-analysis of published case-control studies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PubMed and Google Scholar were searched to explore the association between XRCC1 and CRC. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to estimate the association strength. Publication bias was assessed by Egger's and Begg's tests.

RESULTS

Up to January 2015, 35 case control studies involving 9,114 CRC cases and 13,948 controls were included in the present meta-analysis. The results showed that the Arg399Gln polymorphism only under an allele genetic model was associated with CRC risk (A vs. G: OR 0.128, 95% CI 0.119-0.138, p<0.001). Also, this meta-analysis suggested that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism might associated with susceptibility to CRC in Asians (A vs G: OR 0.124, 95% CI 0.112-0.138, p<0.001) and Caucasian (A vs G: OR 0.132, 95% CI 0.119-0.146, p<0.001) only under an allele genetic model.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis confirms the association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and CRC risk and suggests that the heterogeneity is not strongly modified by ethnicity and deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between XRCC1-Arg399Gln and Arg280His Polymorphisms and the Risk of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is one of the most common noncutaneous malignancies in Western countries. Because there has been a debate regarding the relationship between the XRCC1-Arg399Gln and Arg280His polymorphisms and prostate cancer risk, we therefore performed this meta-analysis. The electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Medline were searched prior to October 1, 2014. An odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were used to calculate association. Heterogeneity was tested by both a chi-square test and I statistic. Funnel plots and Egger's test were used to assess publication bias. All statistical analyses were performed using STATA 12.0 software. A significant association between the XRCC1-Arg399Gln polymorphism and prostate cancer risk was found under a homozygote model and a recessive model. A significant association between XRCC1-Arg280His and prostate cancer risk was found under a heterozygote model and a dominant model [corrected]. Overall, the results of this meta-analysis show that the XRCC1-Arg399Gln polymorphism may be associated with an increased risk for prostate cancer under the homozygote model and the recessive model. And XRCC1-Arg280His polymorphism is likely to be related with prostate cancer risk under the heterozygote model and the dominant model. Additional larger well-designed studies are needed to validate our results.

XRCC1 R399Q polymorphism and colorectal cancer risk in the Chinese Han population: a meta-analysis

X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) plays a key role in DNA repair, genetic instability, and tumorigenesis. The XRCC1 R399Q polymorphism has been reported in some studies to influence the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), though this remains controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to determine the association of XRCC1 R399Q polymorphisms with CRC risk in the Chinese Han population. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure to identify eligible studies published before June 2014. The pooled odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to estimate the effect of XRCC1 R399Q polymorphisms on CRC risk. Eleven case-control studies with a total of 3194 CRC cases and 4472 controls were identified. No significant association between the XRCC1 R399Q polymorphism and CRC risk was observed in the Chinese Han population (Gln/Gln vs. Arg/Arg, OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.85-1.87, P OR = 0.242; Arg/Gln vs. Arg/Arg, OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.70-1.18, P OR = 0.651; dominant model, OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.86-1.38, P OR = 0.480; and recessive model, OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 0.91-1.70, P OR = 0.177). After excluding two studies that deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, there remained no significant association between XRCC1 R399Q and CRC risk. No publication bias was found using the funnel plot and Egger's test. Our meta-analysis results suggest that the XRCC1 R399Q polymorphism is not associated with increased risk of CRC in the Chinese Han population.

Association between the XRCC1 Arg194Trp polymorphism and risk of cancer: evidence from 201 case-control studies

The Arg194Trp polymorphism in the X-ray cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) had been implicated in cancer susceptibility. The previous published data on the association between XRCC1 Arg194Trp polymorphism and cancer risk remained controversial. Hence, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association between cancer susceptibility and XRCC1 Arg194Trp (59,227 cases and 81,587 controls from 201 studies) polymorphism in different inheritance models. We used odds ratios with 95 % confidence intervals to assess the strength of the association. Overall, significantly increased cancer risk was found (recessive model: (odds ration [OR] = 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09-1.27; homozygous model: OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.10-1.33; additive model: OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01-1.09) when all eligible studies were pooled into the meta-analysis. In further stratified and sensitivity analyses, significantly increased glioma risk was found among Asians, significantly decreased lung cancer risk was found among Caucasians, and significant increased breast cancer risk was found among hospital-based studies. In summary, this meta-analysis suggests that Arg194Trp polymorphism may be associated with increased breast cancer risk, Arg194Trp polymorphism is associated with increased glioma risk among Asians, and Arg194Trp polymorphism is associated with decreased lung cancer risk among Caucasians. In addition, our work also points out the importance of new studies for Arg194Trp association in some cancer types, such as gastric, pancreatic, prostate, and nasopharyngeal cancers, where at least some of the covariates responsible for heterogeneity could be controlled, to obtain a more conclusive understanding about the function of the XRCC1 Arg194Trp polymorphism in cancer development (I (2) > 75%).

XRCC1 and XPD genetic polymorphisms and clinical outcomes of gastric cancer patients treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy: a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis aimed to obtain a comprehensive and reliable assessment of the relationships between XRCC1 Arg399Gln and XPD Lys751Gln polymorphisms and the clinical outcomes of gastric cancer (GC) patients treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. The PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, CISCOM, EBSCO, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and CBM databases were searched for relevant articles published before September 1, 2013 without language restrictions. Crude odd ratios (ORs) or hazard risk (HR) [95 % confidence intervals (CI)] were calculated. Twelve clinical cohort studies were assessed with a total 1,024 GC patients treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy. Our meta-analysis findings revealed that GC patients with the GA+AA (A carrier) genotypes of XRCC1 Arg399Gln showed a lower effective clinical response (CR+PR) than those with the GG (A non-carrier) genotype (OR=0.41, 95 % CI 0.20∼0.82, P=0.012). However, there was no statistically significant difference in effective clinical response between those with XPD AC+CC (C carrier) genotypes and CC (C non-carrier) genotype (OR=0.55, 95 % CI 0.28∼1.07, P=0.076). Furthermore, the GA+AA genotypes of XRCC1 Arg399Gln was associated with a worse progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with the CC genotype (PFS, HR=1.90, 95 % CI 1.12∼2.69, P<0.001; OS, HR=2.13, 95 % CI 0.79∼3.47, P=0.002, respectively). No relationships were found between XPD Lys751Gln polymorphism and both PFS and OS (all P>0.05). No publication bias was detected in this meta-analysis. Results from the current meta-analysis indicate that XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism may be associated with poor clinical outcomes in GC patients treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy.

XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and bladder cancer risk: updated meta-analyses based on 5767 cases and 6919 controls

Previous reports implicate XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism as a possible risk factor for several cancers. Published meta-analyses have been conducted on the association of XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism with susceptibility to bladder cancer, and have generated conflicting results. The present study aimed to derive a more precise estimation of the relationship. Updated meta-analyses assessing the association of XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism with bladder cancer were conducted and subgroup analyses on ethnicity, smoking status and source of controls were further performed. Eligible studies were identified for the period up to May 2012. A total of 19 case-control studies comprising 5767 cases and 6919 controls were lastly selected for analysis. The overall data failed to indicate significant associations between XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and bladder cancer risk (Gln/Gln versus Arg/Arg: odds ratio (OR) = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.85-1.10; dominant model: OR = 1.02; 95% CI = 0.94-1.09; recessive model: OR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.84-1.07). In subgroup analyses stratified by ethnicity, smoking status and source of controls, respectively, similar results were obtained. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism might not modify the susceptibility to bladder cancer. Further large and well-designed studies are needed to confirm this conclusion.

Association of XRCC1, XRCC3, and XPD genetic polymorphism with an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma because of the hepatitis B and C virus

OBJECTIVE

The south-east Asian and sub-Saharan African populations are the most susceptible to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to establish whether XRCC1, XRCC3, and XPD are associated with liver cancer in Pakistan and to examine the interaction of hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) with repaired genes in the occurrence of liver cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We enrolled 74 healthy individuals, 75 had either HBV or HCV, and 50 were HCC patients. The characteristic information of all the study participants were collected through a standard interviewer-administered questionnaire. The PCR-RFLP was used to identify the genotype of the patients.

RESULTS

The results of our study indicated that the patients infected with HBV or HCV had a four or three-fold greater risk of developing liver cancer. Patients older than 55 years of age had a significantly higher risk of developing cancer compared with younger patients. The homozygous wild types Arg/Arg for 280 and Thr/Thr for 241 were more frequent in the controls than in the cases. The allelic frequency of mutant 280His and 399Gln was more pronounced among HCC cases than the controls or the HBV-infected patients.

CONCLUSION

The frequency of the XPD gene in the controls was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, indicating that the gene played a protective role in the Pakistani population. XRCC1 or XRCC3 was associated with liver cancer in the Pakistani population; however, the XPD gene played a vital role in the repair of DNA damage.

Association between the XRCC1 polymorphisms and glioma risk: a meta-analysis of case-control studies

Background

X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) is one of the DNA repair genes encoding a scaffolding protein that participate in base excision repair (BER) pathway. However, studies on the association between polymorphisms in this gene and glioma have yielded conflicting results. This meta-analysis was performed to derive a more precise estimation between XRCC1 polymorphisms (Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp, and Arg280His) and glioma risk.

Methods

Data were collected from several electronic databases, with the last search up to November 28, 2012. Meta-analysis was performed by critically reviewing 9 studies for Arg399Gln polymorphism (3146 cases and 4296 controls), 4 studies for Arg194Trp polymorphism (2557 cases and 4347 controls), and 4 studies for Arg280His polymorphism (1936 cases and 2895 controls). All of the statistical analyses were performed using the software programs STATA (version 11.0).

Results

The combined results showed that Arg399Gln polymorphism was significantly associated with glioma risk (Gln/Gln versus Arg/Arg: OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.03–2.23; recessive model: OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.01–1.73; additive model: OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.00–1.47), whereas Arg194Trp/Arg280His polymorphisms were all not significantly associated with glioma risk. As for ethnicity, Arg399Gln polymorphism was associated with increased risk of glioma among Asians (Gln/Gln versus Arg/Arg: OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.29–2.47; Arg/Gln versus Arg/Arg: OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.05–1.56; recessive model: OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.16–2.17; dominant model: OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.13–1.65; additive model: OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.15–1.52), but not among Caucasians. Stratified analyses by histological subtype indicated that the Gln allele of Arg399Gln polymorphism showed borderline association with the risk of glioblastoma among Caucasians. However, no evidence was observed in subgroup analyses for Arg194Trp/Arg280His polymorphisms.

Conclusions

Our meta-analysis suggested that Arg399Gln polymorphism was associated with increased risk of glioma among Asians and borderline increased risk for glioblastoma among Caucasians, whereas Arg194Trp/Arg280His polymorphisms might have no influence on the susceptibility of glioma in different ethnicities.

Association between XRCC1 and XRCC3 polymorphisms and colorectal cancer risk: a meta-analysis of 23 case-control studies

Several potential functional polymorphisms in the DNA repair gene X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) Arg399Gln (rs25487), Arg194Trp (rs1799782), Arg280His (rs25489) and X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3) T241M (rs861539) have been implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but the results are conflicting. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of 23 published case control datasets and assessed genetic heterogeneity between those datasets. All the case-control studies published from January 2000 to June 2012 on the association between those polymorphisms and CRC risk were identified by searching the electronic literature Medline. Statistical analysis was performed with the software programs Review Manager (version 4.2). For overall CRC, no significant association was observed, the pooled odds ratios for XRCC1 Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp, Arg280His, and XRCC3 T241M were 1.02 (95 % CI: 0.93, 1.12), 1.03 (95 % CI: 0.94, 1.14), 0.98 (95 % CI: 0.85, 1.13) and 1.03 (95 % CI: 0.85, 1.26), respectively. Furthermore, no significant association was observed in subgroup analyses based on ethnicity. The results suggested that these four SNPs evaluated are not associated with risk of CRC.

X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism and susceptibility to colorectal cancer:a meta-analysis

X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1), a DNA repair enzyme, plays a crucial role in the base excision repair by generating a single nucleotide repair patch. It has been demonstrated that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism was associated with variations in XRCC1 enzyme activity. The aim of this study was to quantitatively summarize the association between the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and susceptibility to colorectal cancer (CRC). A comprehensive search of the PubMed, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was conducted for studies on the association between the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and CRC risk. Summary odds ratio (OR) with its corresponding 95 % confidence interval (95 %CI) was estimated, in a fixed-effects model or a random-effects model when appropriate, to assess the association. Totally, 26 case-control studies with 6,979 cases and 11,470 controls were included into this meta-analysis. The pooled results of total studies showed that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism was significantly associated with increased risk of CRC in all genetic contrast models (OR(A vs. G) = 1.13, 95 %CI 1.03-1.23, P (OR) = 0.008; OR(Gln/Gln vs. Arg/Arg) = 1.24, 95 %CI 1.04-1.46, P (OR) = 0.015; OR(Gln/Gln vs. Arg/Gln + Arg/Arg) = 1.19, 95 %CI 1.03-1.38, P (OR) = 0.021; OR(Gln/Gln + Arg/Gln vs. Arg/Arg) = 1.14, 95 %CI 1.02-1.28, P (OR) = 0.022), except for the additive contrast model (OR(Arg/Gln vs. Arg/Arg) = 1.11, 95 %CI 0.99-1.25, P (OR) = 0.064). The statistically significant association between the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and CRC risk was observed among studies with high quality and in Asians, but not in Caucasians. Sensitivity analyses by sequential omission of any individual studies further identified the significant association. Publication bias was inexistent in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis suggests that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism is associated with increased risk of CRC.

Lack of an association between the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and gastric cancer based on a meta-analysis

Association between the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and susceptibility to gastric cancer has been investigated; overall, the results have been inconclusive. We made a meta-analysis of 13 case-control studies, including 3278 cases and 6243 controls. Crude odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were used to assess this possible association. We found no evidence of a significant association between the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and gastric cancer risk (in the additive inheritance model, OR = 0.986, 95%CI = 0.831-1.156, in the dominant inheritance model, OR = 1.044, 95%CI = 0.890-1.224 and in the recessive inheritance model, OR = 0.975, 95%CI = 0.894-1.063). We conclude that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism is not a risk factor for developing gastric cancer.

A functional polymorphism in XRCC1 is associated with glioma risk: evidence from a meta-analysis

Previous studies show that X-ray cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC 1) Arg399Gln may result in variations in repair efficiency of DNA damage, and this repair deficit may eventually cause individual susceptibility to glioma. However, published data regarding the association between XRCC 1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and glioma risk was contradictory. The aim of this study was to derive a more precise estimation of the association of XRCC 1 Arg399Gln polymorphism with glioma risk by performing a meta-analysis of eligible studies. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 %CIs) were used to assess the strength of the association. We performed a meta-analysis of eleven published studies that included 2,808 glioma cases and 3,114 controls. Overall, there was a significant association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and glioma risk in two genetic models (for ArgGln vs ArgArg: OR = 1.30, 95 % CI 1.01-1.68; for GlnGln/ArgGln vs ArgArg: OR = 1.28, 95 % CI 1.01-1.62). In the stratified analysis by ethnicity, the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism had a higher risk of glioma development among Asians (for Gln vs Arg: OR = 1.34, 95 % CI 1.12-1.61; for GlnGln vs ArgArg: OR = 1.72, 95 % CI 1.18-2.51; for ArgGln vs ArgArg: OR = 1.31, 95 % CI 1.01-1.71; for GlnGln/ArgGln vs ArgArg: OR = 1.41, 95 % CI 1.10-1.80; for GlnGln vs ArgArg/ArgGln: OR = 1.48, 95 % CI 1.05-2.09)., but not among Caucasians. In conclusion, the results suggest that the XRCC 1 Arg399Gln polymorphism may contribute to the susceptibility of glioma in Asians.

Polymorphisms of DNA repair gene XRCC1 and hepatocellular carcinoma risk among East Asians: a meta-analysis

Association studies on the X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) polymorphisms (Arg194Trp, Arg280His, and Arg399Gln) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have shown conflicting results. The aim of this study was to quantitatively summarize the evidence for such a relationship. Published literatures from PubMed, Embase, CNKI, and Chinese Biomedicine Database were retrieved. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95 % confidence interval (CI) was calculated using fixed- or random-effects model. Thirteen studies including 3,011 HCC cases and 3,619 controls were included in the meta-analysis of the association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and HCC risk. The results indicated that Arg399Gln polymorphism was significantly associated with risk of HCC in a codominant model (Gln/Gln vs. Arg/Arg, OR = 1.32, 95 % CI = 1.08-1.61; Arg/Gln vs. Arg/Arg, OR = 1.41, 95 % CI = 1.12-1.80) and a dominant model (Gln/Gln + Arg/Gln vs. Arg/Arg, OR = 1.39, 95 % CI = 1.15-1.69), but not in a recessive model (Gln/Gln vs. Arg/Gln + Arg/Arg, OR = 1.13, 95 % CI = 0.95-1.35). Limiting the analysis to the studies within Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the results were persistent and robust. When stratifying for region and source of controls, persistent results were observed in any subgroup. No evidence of association of Arg194Trp (980 HCC cases and 966 controls) and Arg280His (1,200 HCC cases and 1,236 controls) with HCC risk was found. No publication bias was found in the present study. The results from the present meta-analysis indicated that the Arg399Gln polymorphisms of XRCC1 may be a genetic susceptibility for HCC in the East Asian population. Further, large and well-designed studies are needed to confirm this conclusion.

Impact of DNA polymorphisms in key DNA base excision repair proteins on cancer risk

Genetic variation in DNA repair genes can modulate DNA repair capacity and may be related to cancer risk. However, study findings have been inconsistent. Inheritance of variant DNA repair genes is believed to influence individual susceptibility to the development of environmental cancer. Reliable knowledge on which the base excision repair (BER) sequence variants are associated with cancer risk would help elucidate the mechanism of cancer. Given that most of the previous studies had inadequate statistical power, we have conducted a systematic review on sequence variants in three important BER proteins. Here, we review published studies on the association between polymorphism in candidate BER genes and cancer risk. We focused on three key BER genes: 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1), apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (APE1/APEX1) and x-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1). These specific DNA repair genes were selected because of their critical role in maintaining genome integrity and, based on previous studies, suggesting that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these genes have protective or deleterious effects on cancer risk. A total of 136 articles in the December 13, 2010 MEDLINE database (National Center for Biotechnology Information, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) reporting polymorphism in OGG1, XRCC1 or APE1 genes were analyzed. Many of the reported SNPs had diverse association with specific human cancers. For example, there was a positive association between the OGG1 Ser326Cys variant and gastric and lung cancer, while the XRCC1 Arg399Gln variant was associated with reduced cancer risk. Gene-environment interactions have been noted and may be important for colorectal and lung cancer risk and possibly other human cancers.

MLH1 and XRCC1 polymorphisms in Mexican patients with colorectal cancer

DNA repair proteins maintain DNA integrity; polymorphisms in genes coding for these proteins can increase susceptibility to colorectal cancer (CRC) development. We analyzed a possible association of MLH1 -93G>A and 655A>G and XRCC1 Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln polymorphisms with CRC in Mexican patients. Genomic DNA samples were obtained from peripheral blood of 108 individuals with CRC (study group) at diagnosis and 120 blood donors (control group) from Western Mexico; both groups were mestizos. The polymorphisms were detected by PCR-RFLP. Association was estimated by calculating the odds ratio (OR). We found that the MLH1 and XRCC1 polymorphisms were in Hardy- Weinberg equilibrium. The MLH1 655A>G polymorphism in the 655G allele was associated with a 2-fold increase risk for CRC (OR = 2.04 and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.12-3.69; P < 0.01), while the MLH1 -93G>A polymorphism allele was associated with a protective effect (OR = 0.60, 95%CI = 0.40-0.89; P = 0.01 in the -93A allele and OR = 0.32, 95%CI = 0.13-0.79; P = 0.01 in the AA genotype). The XRCC1 Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln polymorphisms did not show any significant associations. In conclusion, we found that MLH1 -93G>A and 655A>G polymorphisms are associated with CRC in Mexican patients.

Reprint of: gene susceptibility to oxidative damage: from single nucleotide polymorphisms to function

Oxidative damage to DNA can cause mutations, and mutations can lead to cancer. DNA repair of oxidative damage should therefore play a pivotal role in defending humans against cancer. This is exemplified by the increased risk of colorectal cancer of patients with germ-line mutations of the oxidative damage DNA glycosylase MUTYH. In contrast to germ-line mutations in DNA repair genes, which cause a strong deficiency in DNA repair activity in all cell types, the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in sporadic cancer is unclear also because deficiencies in DNA repair, if any, are expected to be much milder. Further slowing down progress are the paucity of accurate and reproducible functional assays and poor epidemiological design of many studies. This review will focus on the most common and widely studied SNPs of oxidative DNA damage repair proteins trying to bridge the information available on biochemical and structural features of the repair proteins with the functional effects of these variants and their potential impact on the pathogenesis of disease.

Is there evidence of involvement of DNA repair polymorphisms in human cancer?

DNA suffers from a wide range of damage, both from extracellular agents and via endogenous mechanisms. Damage of DNA can lead to cancer and other diseases. Therefore, it is plausible that sequence variants in DNA repair genes are involved in cancer development. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis, based on the "Venice criteria", showed that out of 241 associations investigated, only three resulted to have a strong grade of cumulative evidence. These associations were: two SNPs rs1799793 and rs13181 in the ERCC2 gene and lung cancer (recessive model) and rs1805794 in the NBN gene and bladder cancer (dominant model). An update of this meta-analysis has been performed in the present paper, and we found partially inconsistent results. Inconsistencies in the literature are thus far not easy to explain. In addition, none of the cancer genome-wide association studies (GWAs) published so far showed highly statistically significant associations for any of the common DNA repair gene variants, in such a way as to place DNA repair genes among the top 10-20 hits identified in GWAs. Though this suggests that it is unlikely that DNA repair gene polymorphisms per se play a major role, a clarification of the discrepancies in the literature is needed. Also, gene/environment and gene/lifestyle interactions for the carcinogenic mechanisms involving DNA repair should be investigated more systematically and with less classification error. Finally, the combined effect of multiple SNPs in several genes in one or more relevant DNA repair pathways could have a greater impact on pathological phenotypes than SNPs in single genes, but this has been investigated only occasionally.

Investigation of the effects of DNA repair gene polymorphisms on the risk of colorectal cancer

Despite their prime candidate status, polymorphisms near genes involved in DNA repair or in other functions related to genome stability have been conspicuously under-represented in the significant associations reported from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of cancer susceptibility. In this study, we assessed a set of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near 157 DNA repair genes in three colorectal cancer (CRC) GWAS. Although no individual SNP showed evidence of association, the set of SNPs as a whole was associated with colorectal cancer risk. When candidate SNPs were examined, our data did not support most of the previously reported associations with CRC susceptibility, an exception being an effect of the MLH1 promoter SNP -93G>A (rs1800734). Rare variants in CHEK2 (I157T and possibly del1100C) also appear to be associated with CRC risk. Overall, the absence to date of disease-associated DNA repair SNPs in cancer GWAS may be explained by a combination of the following: (i) many loci with individually very small effects on risk; (ii) rare alleles of moderate effect and (iii) subgroups of CRC, such as those with microsatellite instability, associated with specific variants. It will be particularly intriguing to determine whether any GWAS across cancer types identify DNA variants that predispose to cancers of more than one site.

Gene susceptibility to oxidative damage: from single nucleotide polymorphisms to function

Oxidative damage to DNA can cause mutations, and mutations can lead to cancer. DNA repair of oxidative damage should therefore play a pivotal role in defending humans against cancer. This is exemplified by the increased risk of colorectal cancer of patients with germ-line mutations of the oxidative damage DNA glycosylase MUTYH. In contrast to germ-line mutations in DNA repair genes, which cause a strong deficiency in DNA repair activity in all cell types, the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in sporadic cancer is unclear also because deficiencies in DNA repair, if any, are expected to be much milder. Further slowing down progress are the paucity of accurate and reproducible functional assays and poor epidemiological design of many studies. This review will focus on the most common and widely studied SNPs of oxidative DNA damage repair proteins trying to bridge the information available on biochemical and structural features of the repair proteins with the functional effects of these variants and their potential impact on the pathogenesis of disease.

Association between OCTN1/2 gene polymorphisms (1672C-T, 207G-C) and susceptibility of Crohn's disease: a meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Although a number of genetic studies have attempted to link organic cation transporter 1/2 (OCTN1/2) polymorphisms to susceptibility of Crohn's disease (CD), the results were often inconsistent. The present study aimed at investigating the associations.

METHODS

The PubMed, EBSCO, and BIOSIS databases were searched to identify eligible studies which were published in English before April 2011. The association was assessed by odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS

A total of 15 case-control studies, containing 4,489 cases/5,351 controls for OCTN1 and 4,474 cases/5,377 controls for OCTN2 were included. Overall, significant associations were found between OCTN1/2 polymorphisms and susceptibility of Crohn's disease for all genetic models. In the subgroup analyses, significant associations were found in the Caucasian population for OCTN1 (TT vs. CC: OR = 1.425, 95% CI 1.247-1.628; TT vs. CT: OR = 1.299, 95% CI 1.149-1.468; dominant model: OR = 1.344, 95% CI 1.197-1.508; and recessive model: OR = 1.179, 95% CI 1.066-1.305) and for OCTN2 (CC vs. GG: OR = 1.309, 95% CI 1.078-1.588; CC vs. CG: OR = 1.200, 95% CI 1.002-1.438; dominant model (OR = 1.231, 95% CI 1.036-1.462; recessive model: OR = 1.148, 95% CI 1.031-1.279). Significant associations were not found in the East Asian population.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis suggests that OCTN1/2 polymorphisms were associated with susceptibility of CD in the Caucasian population but not in the East Asian population.

Association of APE1 and hOGG1 polymorphisms with colorectal cancer risk in a Turkish population

BACKGROUND

There is growing evidence describing DNA repair genes polymorphisms are related to increased cancer risk including colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between the APE1 Asp148Glu, hOGG1 Ser326Cys, XRCC1 Arg399Gln, XRCC3 Thr241Met, XPD Lys751Gln, XPG Asp1104His polymorphisms and CRC risk in Turkish population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Polymorphisms of APE1 Asp148Glu (rs3136820), hOGG1 Ser326Cys (rs1052133), XRCC1 Arg399Gln(rs25487), XRCC3 Thr241Met (rs861539), XPD Lys751Gln (rs13181), and XPG Asp1104His (rs17655) were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods in blood samples of 79 CRC patients at their initial staging and 247 healthy controls. Of the CRC patients, 26 out of 40 were diagnosed with rectal cancer and received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy following diagnosis; 39 others were diagnosed as colon cancer.

RESULTS

Our preliminary results showed that frequencies of Glu allele of APE1 Asp148Glu and Cys allele of hOGG1 Ser326Cys were higher in CRC patients than in controls (p = 0.006, OR: 3.43; 95% CI: 1.76-6.70; p = 0.000, OR: 2.77; 95% CI: 1.40-5.48, respectively). Higher frequency of Met allele of XRCC3 Thr241Met was detected in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (p = 0.024, OR: 5.25; 95% CI: 1.23-23.39) and with proximal colon tumors (p = 0.04, OR: 2; 95% CI: 1.18-3.34). Increased frequency of Ser/Ser genotype of hOGG1 Ser326Cys was found to be associated both with higher grade (p = 0.001, OR: 6.4; 95% CI: 2.69-62.69) and liver metastasis (p = 0.005, OR: 7.5; 95% CI: 0.7-68.36).

CONCLUSION

APE1 Asp148Glu and hOGG1 Ser326Cys polymorphisms might be associated with increasing risk of CRC in a Turkish population. Future studies with larger-sized samples, as well as detecting the association of DNA repair genes with other confounding factors will help elucidate the exact roles of DNA repair genes polymorphisms in development and progression of CRC.

No association of XRCC1 polymorphisms Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln with colorectal cancer risk

BACKGROUND

X-ray repair cross complementation group 1 (XRCC1) plays a key role in base excision repair. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of two genetic polymorphisms in XRCC1 (rs1799782 and rs25487) with risk of colorectal polyps and colorectal cancer (CRC).

METHODS

In the ongoing colorectal cancer study of Austria (CORSA), a total of 3091 Caucasian participants was genotyped using 5'-nuclease TaqMan assays. Multiple logistic regression was applied to compare individuals of the control group against three different case groups namely CRC cases, high-risk and low-risk polyps.

RESULTS

The two investigated SNPs in XRCC1 were not found to be associated with neither CRC risk nor polyp risk. Comparing the CRC cases versus the controls the OR was 0.60 (95%CI 0.27-1.31) for the heterozygous polymorphic genotype of SNP rs1799782 and 1.47 (95%CI 0.81-2.65) for the homozygous polymorphic genotype of SNP rs25487. Comparing the high-risk polyp group versus the controls the OR was 2.64 (95%CI 0.61-11.42) for the homozygous polymorphic genotype of SNP rs1799782 and 0.89 (95%CI 0.60-1.33) for SNP rs25487, respectively. In an haplotype analysis also no statistically significant association was found.

CONCLUSION

Our finding that none of the two investigated SNPs of XRCC1 were significantly associated with risk of CRC or polyps is consistent with the results of a recently published meta-analysis.

Polymorphisms of XRCC1 and gastric cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis

Studies investigating the association between X-ray repair cross-complementing gene 1 (XRCC1) polymorphisms and gastric cancer (GC) risk have reported conflicting results. We performed a meta-analysis of published case-control and cohort studies to better compare results between studies. Published literature from PubMed, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were retrieved. 18 studies with 3,915 GC cases and 6,759 controls were selected. For XRCC1 Arg194Trp polymorphism, we only found the Trp/Trp genotype carriers might be at high risk of GC (TT vs. CC+CT: OR = 1.31, 95%CI = 1.04-1.65). When stratifying for ethnicity, the results showed there was a significant difference in genotype distribution between GC cases and controls among Asians (especially, in Chinese population), but not among Caucasians. When stratifying for control sources, significant association between Arg194Trp polymorphism and GC risk was only observed in the hospital-based controls' subgroup (TT vs. CC+CT: OR = 1.45, 95%CI = 1.13-1.87). Additionally, no significant association was detected in the gastric cardia cancer's subgroup. The results of the overall meta-analysis did not suggest any association between Arg280His/Arg399Gln polymorphisms and GC susceptibility for all genetic models. There was no evidence for the association between these two gene polymorphisms and GC risk in subgroup analyses based on study design, ethnicity, country, tumor location, Helicobacter pylori infection and the Lauren's classification of GC. In conclusion, XRCC1 Arg194Trp homozygous mutant genotype (Trp/Trp) was found to be associated with increased risk of GC.

The C/A polymorphism in intron 11 of the XPC gene plays a crucial role in the modulation of an individual's susceptibility to sporadic colorectal cancer

Epidemiological data show that colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most frequent malignancy worldwide. The involvement of "minor impact genes" such as XME and DNA-repair genes in the etiology of sporadic cancer has been postulated by other authors. We focused on analyzing polymorphisms in DNA-repair genes in CRC. We considered the following genes involved in DNA-repair pathways: base excision repair (OGG1 Ser326Cys, XRCC1 Trp194Arg and Arg399Gln); nucleotide excision repair [XPA (-4)G/A, XPC C/A (i11) and A33512C (Lys939Gln), XPD Asp312Asn and A18911C (Lys751Gln), XPF Arg415Gln, XPG Asp1104His, ERCC1 C118T]; homologous recombination repair [NBS1 Glu185Gln, Rad51 135G/C, XRCC3 C18067 (Thr241Met)]. The study group consisted of 133 patients diagnosed with sporadic CRC, while the control group was composed of 100 age-matched non-cancer volunteers. Genotyping was performed by PCR and PCR-RFLP. Fisher's exact test with a Bonferroni correction for multiple testing was used. We found that: (i) XPC C/A (i11) heterozygous variant is associated with increased risk of CRC [OR is 2.07 (95% CI 1.1391, 3.7782) P=0.038], (ii) XPD A18911C (Lys751Gln) is associated with decreased risk of CRC [OR=0.4497, (95% CI 0.2215, 0.9131) P=0.031] for an individual with at least one A allele at this locus. (1) The XPC C/A (i11) genotype is associated with an increased risk of sporadic colorectal cancer. (2) The NER pathway has been highlighted in our study, as a most important in modulation of individual susceptibility to sCRC.

The C/A polymorphism in intron 11 of the XPC gene plays a crucial role in the modulation of an individual's susceptibility to sporadic colorectal cancer

Epidemiological data show that colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most frequent malignancy worldwide. The involvement of "minor impact genes" such as XME and DNA-repair genes in the etiology of sporadic cancer has been postulated by other authors. We focused on analyzing polymorphisms in DNA-repair genes in CRC. We considered the following genes involved in DNA-repair pathways: base excision repair (OGG1 Ser326Cys, XRCC1 Trp194Arg and Arg399Gln); nucleotide excision repair [XPA (-4)G/A, XPC C/A (i11) and A33512C (Lys939Gln), XPD Asp312Asn and A18911C (Lys751Gln), XPF Arg415Gln, XPG Asp1104His, ERCC1 C118T]; homologous recombination repair [NBS1 Glu185Gln, Rad51 135G/C, XRCC3 C18067 (Thr241Met)]. The study group consisted of 133 patients diagnosed with sporadic CRC, while the control group was composed of 100 age-matched non-cancer volunteers. Genotyping was performed by PCR and PCR-RFLP. Fisher's exact test with a Bonferroni correction for multiple testing was used. We found that: (i) XPC C/A (i11) heterozygous variant is associated with increased risk of CRC [OR is 2.07 (95% CI 1.1391, 3.7782) P=0.038], (ii) XPD A18911C (Lys751Gln) is associated with decreased risk of CRC [OR=0.4497, (95% CI 0.2215, 0.9131) P=0.031] for an individual with at least one A allele at this locus. (1) The XPC C/A (i11) genotype is associated with an increased risk of sporadic colorectal cancer. (2) The NER pathway has been highlighted in our study, as a most important in modulation of individual susceptibility to sCRC.

Genetics, cytogenetics, and epigenetics of colorectal cancer

Most of the colorectal cancer (CRC) cases are sporadic, only 25% of the patients have a family history of the disease, and major genes causing syndromes predisposing to CRC only account for 5-6% of the total cases. The following subtypes can be recognized: MIN (microsatellite instability), CIN (chromosomal instability), and CIMP (CpG island methylator phenotype). CIN occurs in 80-85% of CRC. Chromosomal instability proceeds through two major mechanisms, missegregation that results in aneuploidy through the gain or loss of whole chromosomes, and unbalanced structural rearrangements that lead to the loss and/or gain of chromosomal regions. The loss of heterozygosity that occur in the first phases of the CRC cancerogenesis (in particular for the genes on 18q) as well as the alteration of methylation pattern of multiple key genes can drive the development of colorectal cancer by facilitating the acquisition of multiple tumor-associated mutations and the instability phenotype.

Association between polymorphisms in the XRCC1 and GST genes, and CpG island methylation status in colonic mucosa in ulcerative colitis

CpG island hypermethylation (CIHM) is frequently observed in the colonic mucosa in ulcerative colitis (UC) and is deeply involved in UC-associated colorectal carcinogenesis. We evaluated the influence of common polymorphisms related to DNA repair or xenobiotic pathway (XRCC1, GSTP1, GSTT1, and GSTM1) on the individual susceptibility to CIHM status in the non-neoplastic rectal mucosa in UC patients. XRCC1 Arg399Gln and Arg194Trp, GSTP1 Ile104Val, and GSTT1, GSTM1 null polymorphisms were genotyped in 84 UC patients without neoplastic lesions, in relation to CIHM in the rectal mucosa of three candidate CpG loci (p14, p16, and CDH1) assessed by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. XRCC1 codon 399 Arg/Gln genotype (odds ratio (OR) = 0.31, 95%CI = 0.12-0.81, p = 0.017) and 399 Gln carrier (GlnGln+Arg/Gln: OR = 0.30, 95%CI = 0.12-0.76, p = 0.01) were significantly associated with reduced susceptibility to CIHM of the CDH1 promoter. GSTP1 Val carrier (Ile Val+Val/Val) also held a significantly lower susceptibility to CIHM of the p16 promoter (OR = 0.26, 95%CI = 0.08-0.86, p = 0.028). In contrast, GSTT1 present genotype (OR = 3.16, 95%CI = 1.27-7.89, p = 0.01) was significantly associated with increased susceptibility to CIHM of the same gene. XRCC1 codon 399 Gln/Gln genotype was significantly associated with lower mean number of CIHM when compared to the Arg/Arg genotype (1.53 ± 1.01 vs. 0.63 ± 1.06, p = 0.024). In addition, the GSTP1 Ile/Val carrier (Ile/Val+Val/Val) was also significantly associated with lower mean number of CIHM (1.43 ± 1.03 vs. 0.84 ± 1.07, p = 0.03). XRCC1 Arg399Gln and GSTP1 Ile104Val polymorphisms may influence the CIHM status in the rectal mucosa of UC patients and may be substantially involved in UC-associated carcinogenesis.

XRCC1 downregulated through promoter hypermethylation is involved in human gastric carcinogenesis

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the expression and aberrant methylation of X-ray repair cross-complementing gene 1 (XRCC1) in gastric carcinogenesis, and identify the molecular mechanism of gastric carcinogenesis.

METHODS

The method based on methyl binding domain protein (MBD) immuno-precipitation and promoter microarray was employed to screen the gastric cancer-related methylation-sensitive gene. An immunohistochemistry assay was applied to detect the protein expression of XRCC1 in the multistep progression of gastric carcinogenesis. The mRNA expression of XRCC1 was determined by real-time PCR in tumor tissues and their corresponding non-tumorous tissues. The methylation status and Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln polymorphisms of XRCC1 in gastric cancer and gastritis tissues were analyzed by methylation-specific PCR, bisulfite genomic sequencing and direct DNA sequencing, respectively.

RESULTS

Promoter microarray screening and identification suggested that XRCC1 was a methylation-sensitive gene. Immunochemistry results showed that XRCC1 protein expression gradually decreased with progression of gastric mucosal lesions (P < 0.05). The positive rate of XRCC1 in patients with well/moderately differentiated gastric cancer was significantly higher than patients with poorly differentiated gastric cancer (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of XRCC1 in gastric cancer tissues was significantly lower than that in the non-tumorous tissues (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, XRCC1 methylation in gastric cancer tissues was more frequent than that in the gastritis tissues (P < 0.05), and the downregulation of XRCC1 expression was relevant to methylation (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The expression of XRCC1 is downregulated in gastric carcinogenesis, and promoter hypermethylation may be one of the mechanisms contributing to its downregulation.