PSCArs2294008 T polymorphism increases the risk of bladder cancer in Bai, Dai, and Han ethnicity in China and a potential mechanism

Potential association between PSCA rs2976395 functional variant and pancreatic cancer risk

Correlated regions of systemic interindividual variation (CoRSIV) represent a small proportion of the human genome showing DNA methylation patterns that are the same in all human tissues, are different among individuals, and are partially regulated by genetic variants in cis. In this study we aimed at investigating single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within CoRSIVs and their involvement with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) risk. We analyzed 29,099 CoRSIV-SNPs and 133,615 CoRSIV-mQTLs in 14,394 cases and 247,022 controls of European and Asian descent. We observed that the A allele of the rs2976395 SNP was associated with increased PDAC risk in Europeans (p = 2.81 × 10-5). This SNP lies in the prostate stem cell antigen gene and is in perfect linkage disequilibrium with a variant (rs2294008) that has been reported to be associated with risk of many other cancer types. The A allele is associated with the DNA methylation level of the gene according to the PanCan-meQTL database and with overexpression according to QTLbase. The expression of the gene has been observed to be deregulated in many tumors of the gastrointestinal tract including pancreatic cancer; however, functional studies are needed to elucidate the function relevance of the association.

Comparative study of type 2 diabetes mellitus-associated gut microbiota between the Dai and Han populations

BACKGROUND

The global prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing. T2DM is associated with alterations of the gut microbiota, which can be affected by age, illness, and genetics. Previous studies revealed that there are discriminating microbiota compositions between the Dai and the Han populations. However, the specific gut microbiota differences between the two populations have not been elucidated.

AIM

To compare the gut microbiota differences in subjects with and without T2DM in the Dai and Han populations.

METHODS

A total of 35 subjects of the Han population (including 15 healthy children, 8 adult healthy controls, and 12 adult T2DM patients) and 32 subjects of the Dai population (including 10 healthy children, 10 adult healthy controls, and 12 adult T2DM patients) were enrolled in this study. Fasting venous blood samples were collected from all the subjects for biochemical analysis. Fecal samples were collected from all the subjects for DNA extraction and 16S rRNA sequencing, which was followed by analyses of the gut microbiota composition.

RESULTS

No significant difference in alpha diversity was observed between healthy children and adults. The diversity of gut microbiota was decreased in T2DM patients compared to the healthy adults in both the Dai and Han populations. There was a significant difference in gut microbiota between healthy children and healthy adults in the Han population with an increased abundance of Bacteroidetes and decreased Firmicutes in children. However, this difference was less in the Dai population. Significant increases in Bacteroidetes in the Han population and Proteobacteria in the Dai population and decreases in Firmicutes in both the Han and Dai population were observed in T2DM patients compared to healthy adults. Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size analysis also showed that the gut microbiota was different between the Han and Dai populations in heathy children, adults, and T2DM patients. Four bacteria were consistently increased and two consistently decreased in the Han population compared to the Dai population.

CONCLUSION

Differences in gut microbiota were found between the Han and Dai populations. A significant increase in Bacteroidetes was related to the occurrence of T2DM in the Han population, while a significant increase in Proteobacteria was related to the occurrence of T2DM in the Dai population.

Genetic Polymorphisms Involved in Bladder Cancer: A Global Review

Bladder cancer (BC) has been associated with genetic susceptibility. Single peptide polymorphisms (SNPs) can modulate BC susceptibility. A literature search was performed covering the period between January 2000 and October 2020. Overall, 334 articles were selected, reporting 455 SNPs located in 244 genes. The selected 455 SNPs were further investigated. All SNPs that were associated with smoking and environmental exposure were excluded from this study. A total of 197 genes and 343 SNPs were found to be associated with BC, among which 177 genes and 291 SNPs had congruent results across all available studies. These genes and SNPs were classified into eight different categories according to their function.

The PSCA rs2294008 (C/T) Polymorphism Increases the Risk of Gastric and Bladder Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background: It has been reported that prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) is overexpressed in certain cancer types and confers poor prognoses. The rs2294008 (C/T) polymorphism of PSCA is considered to be associated with risk for gastric, bladder, and colorectal cancers; however, these studies have produced inconsistent results, so we performed this meta-analysis to verify the association between the PSCA rs2294008 (C/T) polymorphism and cancer risk. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, EMBASE, and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, through October 20, 2022 according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We used odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the strength of the association between the PSCA rs2294008 (C/T) polymorphism and cancer risk. In addition, we explored PSCA mRNA expression in cancers through online databases. Results: In total, 45 articles met our inclusion criteria and were analyzed, including 37,586 cancer cases and 51,197 non-cancer controls. Except in the recessive model, the pooled effect indicated the PSCA rs2294008 T allele was associated with an increased overall cancer risk (T vs. C: OR = 1.120, 95% CI = 1.056-1.188, p < 0.01; TT vs. CC: OR = 1.206, 95% CI = 1.066-1.364, p = 0.03; CT vs. CC: OR = 1.249, 95% CI = 1.151-1.356, p < 0.01; [CT+TT] vs. CC: OR = 1.248, 95% CI = 1.147-1.359, p < 0.01; TT vs. [CT+CC]: OR = 1.051, 95% CI = 0.954-1.156, p = 0.314). In the subgroup analysis, there were significant associations between the rs2294008 T allele and increased risk of bladder and gastric cancer. Two different online tools were used to explore the PSCA mRNA levels in cancer and the corresponding normal adjacent tissues. We found that expression of PSCA was significantly lower in gastric cancer patients. Conclusions: The PSCA rs2294008 T polymorphism is related to increased cancer susceptibility, especially for gastric and bladder cancers. This polymorphism results in a decreased PSCA expression level in gastric cancer.

SNP rs2920280 in PSCA Is Associated with Susceptibility to Gastric Mucosal Atrophy and Is a Promising Biomarker in Japanese Individuals with Helicobacter pylori Infection

Helicobacter pylori infection results in gastric cancer (GC) with gastric mucosal atrophy (GMA). Some single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the prostate stem cell antigen gene (PSCA) are associated with GC and duodenal ulcers. However, the relationship of other identified SNPs in PSCA with these diseases remains unclear. Herein, the association between PSCA SNPs and GMA among 195 Japanese individuals with H. pylori infection was evaluated. The definition of GMA or non-GMA was based on serum pepsinogen levels or endoscopic findings. Five tag PSCA SNPs were analyzed using PCR high-resolution melting curve analysis with nonlabelled probes. The frequencies of alleles and the genotypes of each tag SNP were compared between the GMA and non-GMA groups. Subsequently, a genetic test was performed using associated SNPs as biomarkers to detect patients developing GMA. Two tag PSCA SNPs (rs2920280 and rs2294008) were related to GMA susceptibility. Individuals with the rs2920280 G/G genotype or the rs2294008 T/T genotype in PSCA had 3.5- and 2.1-fold susceptibility to GMA, respectively. In conclusion, SNP rs2920280 is a possible biomarker for detecting individuals developing GMA. PSCA polymorphisms may be useful biomarkers for predicting GMA linked to GC risk and a screening endoscopy strategy to detect GC related to early stage H. pylori associated GMA.

The association of AGO1 (rs595961G>A, rs636832A>G) and AGO2 (rs11996715C>A, rs2292779C>G, rs4961280C>A) polymorphisms and risk of recurrent implantation failure

Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) is a common reproductive clinical condition treated by fertility specialists at in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics. Several factors affect embryo implantation including the age of the female, the quality of embryos and the sperm, genetics, immunologic factors. Here, we investigated the association of Argonaute 1 (AGO1) and Argonaute 2 (AGO2) polymorphisms and RIF. We collected blood samples from 167 patients with RIF and 211 controls. Genetic polymorphisms were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) – restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and real-time PCR. We found that the AGO2 rs4961280C>A polymorphism (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.984; P = 0.023) was significantly associated with RIF. Furthermore, in RIF patients with three or more consecutive implantation failure, the AGO2 rs4961280C>A CA genotype (AOR = 2.133; P = 0.013) and dominant model (AOR = 2.272; P = 0.006) were both significantly associated with prevalence of RIF. An analysis of variance revealed that patients with the AGO2 rs2292779C>G genotypes (CC: 6.52 ± 2.55; CG: 7.46 ± 3.02; GG: 8.42 ± 2.74; P = 0.044) and the dominant model (CC: 6.52 ± 2.55; CG+GG: 7.70 ± 2.97; P = 0.029) exhibited significantly increased white blood cell levels. Furthermore, patients with the AGO1 rs595961G>A dominant model (GG: 36.81 ± 8.69; GA+AA: 31.58 ± 9.17; P = 0.006) and the AGO2 rs4961280C>A recessive model (CC+CA: 35.42 ± 8.77; AA: 22.00 ± 4.24; P = 0.035) exhibited a significantly decreased number of CD4⁺ helper T cells. Our study showed that AGO1 and AGO2 polymorphisms are associated with the prevalence of RIF. Hence, the results suggest that variations in AGO1 and AGO2 genotypes may be useful clinical biomarkers for the development and prognosis of RIF.