Association analysis between the c.1804C>A genetic polymorphism of XRCC1 gene and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in Chinese population

Genetic polymorphisms in DNA repair genes and hepatocellular carcinoma risk

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequent types of tumors worldwide. Its occurrence and development have been related to various risk factors, such as chronic infection with hepatitis B or C viruses and alcohol addiction. DNA repair systems play a critical role in maintaining the integrity of the genome. Defects in these systems have been related to increased susceptibility to various types of cancer. Multiple genetic polymorphisms in genes of DNA repair systems have been reported that may affect DNA repair capacity (DRC) and modulate risk to cancer. Several studies have been conducted to assess the role of polymorphisms of DNA repair genes on the HCC risk. Identifying these polymorphisms and their association with HCC risk may help to improve prevention and treatment strategies. In this study, we review investigations that evaluated the association between genetic polymorphisms of DNA repair genes and risk of HCC.

XRCC1 Gene Polymorphism Increases the Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Egyptian Population

Section Title

Several major risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been identified, including chronic infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Nevertheless, only a fraction of infected patients develops HCC during their lifetime suggesting that genetic factors might modulate HCC development. X-ray repair cross complementing group1 (XRCC1) participates in the repair pathways of DNA.

Aim:

to investigate the association between XRCC1 gene polymorphism and HCC in Egyptian chronic hepatitis C patients.

Methods:

This study was assessed on 40 patients with HCC secondary to chronic HCV infection who were compared to 20 cirrhotic HCV patients and 40- age and gender- matched healthy control group. After collection of relevant clinical data and basic laboratory tests, c.1517G>C SNP of XRCC1 gene polymorphism was performed by (PCR-RFLP) technique.

Results:

A statistically higher frequency of XRCC1 (CC, GC) genotypes and increased (C) allele frequency in patients with HCC was found in comparison to cirrhotic HCV patients as well as control group. In addition, patients with the XRCC1 (CC, GC) genotypes had significantly higher number and larger size of tumor foci and significantly higher Child Pugh grades. Multivariate analysis showed that the presence of c.1517G>C SNP of XRCC1 gene is an independent risk for the development of HCC in chronic HCV patients with 3.7 fold increased risk of HCC development.

In conclusion:

XRCC1 gene polymorphism could be associated with increased risk of HCC development in chronic HCV Egyptian patients.

Interleukin-17A and interleukin-17F gene polymorphisms and hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma risk in a Chinese population

Interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-17F are inflammatory cytokines, which play a critical function in inflammation. Genetic variations in the IL-17A and IL-17F genes may be associated with a risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is a typical inflammation-related cancer. However, their relationship with HBV-related HCC has not been thoroughly investigated. We conducted a case-control study including 155 patients with HBV-related HCC and 171 healthy controls to assess the association between IL-17A rs4711998, IL-17A rs2275913, and IL-17F rs763780 polymorphisms and risk of HCC. Genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing. There were no significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of IL-17A rs4711998, IL-17A rs2275913, and IL-17F rs763780 polymorphisms between the HBV-related HCC patients and healthy controls. However, our results revealed a statistically significant association between the ACA haplotype and increased HCC risk [odds ratio (OR) 1.820, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.181-2.624, P = 0.013]. In contrast, the GCG haplotype was associated with a significantly decreased risk of HBV-related HCC (OR 0.454, 95 % CI 0.112-0.898, P = 0.035). Our results suggest that IL-17A rs4711998, IL-17A rs2275913, and IL-17F rs763780 polymorphisms do not contribute to HBV-related HCC susceptibility independently. However, the ACA and GCG haplotypes in the IL-17 gene might be a risk factor and a protective marker, respectively, for HBV-related HCC in a Chinese population.

Genetic polymorphisms in hypoxia-inducible factor-1a gene and its association with HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma in a Chinese population

Previous studies have demonstrated that hypoxia-inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a) may play a vital role in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the relationship between HIF-1a polymorphisms and HCC has not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study is to determine whether HIF-1a polymorphisms are associated with HCC through a case-control study. Two polymorphisms in the HIF-1a gene (rs11549465 and rs115494657) were examined in 157 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC patients and 173 healthy controls using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. DNA sequencing was used to validate genotype results. There were no significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of HIF-1a rs11549465 and rs115494657 polymorphisms between the HBV-related HCC patients and healthy controls. However, the data revealed that subjects with the CG haplotype have a higher susceptibility to HBV-related HCC [odds ratio (OR)=2.327, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.578-4.721, P=0.008]. In contrast, the CA haplotype was associated with a significantly decreased risk of HBV-related HCC (OR=0.416, 95% CI=0.172-0.910, P=0.025). HIF-1a rs11549465 and rs115494657 polymorphisms appeared to be irrelevant to HBV-related HCC. However, the HIF-1a CG and CA haplotypes might be a risk factor and a protective marker, respectively, for HBV-related HCC in a Chinese population. Further investigations with a larger sample size may be required to validate the genetic effects of HIF-1a polymorphisms on HBV-related HCC.