TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism (rs1042522) and risk of endometriosis among Asian and Caucasian populations

Research into the mechanism of intervention of Wenjing decoction in endometriosis based on network pharmacology and molecular docking technology

BACKGROUND

Endometriosis (EMs) is a frequent disease in women and is the principal cause of infertility and dysmenorrhea. Due to its high recurrence rate and serious complications, more research on EMs is needed. We used network pharmacology and molecular docking technology to predict the key active components, targets, and signaling pathways of Wen Jing decoction (WJD) in the treatment of EMs.

METHODS

The components and targets of WJD were collected and identified using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and BATMAN-TCM. The EMs targets were obtained from GeneCards, OMIM, TTD, Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) and GAD Databases; the Venny diagram was used to analyze the overlap between the targets of WJD and EMs; use Cytoscape 3.8.2 software to build a drug active ingredient-target protein interaction network; after downloading the data from the String online database, Cytoscape 3.8.2 software was used to draw the intersection target protein-protein interaction network diagram. Finally, microbiotic information mapping was used to analyze gene ontology function enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment. Molecular docking was used to predict the binding affinity of the components of WJD to the targets of EMs.

RESULTS

Seventy-eight active ingredients of WJD were screened, corresponding to 108 targets, 2626 EMs-related targets and 124 intersection targets. The results of gene ontology functional enrichment analysis showed that WJD could affect 709 biological processes, 131 molecular functions and 54 cell composition. The enrichment analysis of KEGG pathway yielded 185 pathways. The treatment of EMs by WJD has the characteristics of multiple targets and multiple pathways. Molecular docking with the AutoDock Vina platform found that 5 active ingredients of WJD were successfully docked with 6 common targets.

CONCLUSION

Based on network pharmacology and molecular docking, WJD was found to act on EMs through multi-targets and related signaling pathways.

Association between TP53 Arg72Pro variant and recurrent pregnancy loss in the Greek population

OBJECTIVES

The present case-control study investigates whether TP53 Arg72Pro variant (rs1042522) serves as a risk factor for recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) in Greek women.

METHODS

The study group consisted of 100 patients with at least two miscarriages of unexplained etiology, before the 24th week of gestation. The control group included 106 women with no pregnancy loss history. DNA was extracted and genotyped using specific primers for PCR amplification of the Arg72 and Pro72 alleles. Sanger sequencing was used for the discrimination between heterozygotes and homozygotes for Arg72Pro variant.

RESULTS

This is the first study demonstrating the statistically significant higher frequency of TP53 Arg72Pro variant in Greek RPL women compared to controls (38% vs. 6.6%; OR=8.6682, 95% CI: 3.6446-20.6160; p<0.0001). GC genotype (Arg/Pro) and CC genotype (Pro/Pro) were statistically more common in RPL patients than in controls (16% vs. 1.9%; p=0.0027, and 22 vs. 4.7%; p=0.0008, respectively). C allele frequency was statistically significant higher in RPL group than in controls (30.0 vs. 5.7%; p<0.0001). According to the inheritance mode analysis, the model that best fit the data was the dominant model (OR=8.67, 95% CI=3.64-20.62; p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The is the first study disclosing strong evidence that TP53 rs1042522 is significantly associated with a higher risk for recurrent pregnancy loss in Greek women following a dominant model, thus, serving as a genetic marker for identifying women at increased risk of recurrent miscarriages.

Defining the genetic profile of endometriosis

Endometriosis is a pathological condition which has been extensively studied, since its pathophysiology stems from a broad spectrum of environmental influences and genetic factors. Familial studies aim at defining inheritance trends, while linkage analysis studies focus on the identification of genetic sites related to endometriosis susceptibility. Genetic association studies take into account candidate genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms, and hence target at unraveling the association between disease severity and genetic variation. The common goal of various types of studies is, through genetic mapping methods, the timely identification of therapeutic strategies for disease symptoms, including pelvic pain and infertility, as well as efficient counselling. While genome-wide association studies (GWAS) play a primary role in depicting genetic contributions to disease development, they entail a certain bias as regards the case-control nature of their design and the reproducibility of the results. Nevertheless, genetic-oriented studies and the implementation of the results through clinical tests, hold a considerable advantage in proper disease management. In this review article, we present information about gene-gene and gene-environment interactions involved in endometriosis and discuss the effectiveness of GWAS in identitying novel potential therapeutic targets in an attempt to develop novel therapeutic strategies for a better management and treatment of patients with endometriosis.

International patterns and trends in ovarian cancer incidence, overall and by histologic subtype

Internationally, ovarian cancer is the 7th leading cancer diagnosis and 8th leading cause of cancer mortality among women. Ovarian cancer incidence varies by region, particularly when comparing high vs. low-income countries. Temporal changes in reproductive factors coupled with shifts in diagnostic criteria may have influenced incidence trends of ovarian cancer and relative rates by histologic subtype. Accordingly, we evaluated trends in ovarian cancer incidence overall (1973-1977 to 2003-2007) and by histologic subtype (1988-1992 to 2003-2007) using volumes IV-IX of the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents database (CI5plus) and CI5X (volume X) database. Annual percent changes were calculated for ovarian cancer incidence trends, and rates of histologic subtypes for individual countries were compared to overall international incidence. Ovarian cancer incidence rates were stable across regions, although there were notable increases in Eastern/Southern Europe (e.g., Poland: Annual Percent Change (APC) 1.6%, p = 0.02) and Asia (e.g., Japan: APC 1.7%, p = 0.01) and decreases in Northern Europe (e.g., Denmark: APC -0.7%, p = 0.01) and North America (e.g., US Whites: APC -0.9%, p < 0.01). Relative proportions of histologic subtypes were similar across countries, except for Asian nations, where clear cell and endometrioid carcinomas comprised a higher proportion of the rate and serous carcinomas comprised a lower proportion of the rate than the worldwide distribution. Geographic variation in temporal trends of ovarian cancer incidence and differences in the distribution of histologic subtype may be partially explained by reproductive and genetic factors. Thus, histology-specific ovarian cancer should continue to be monitored to further understand the etiology of this neoplasm.

Role of a p53 polymorphism in the development of nonfunctional pituitary adenomas

Non-functional pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) are among the commonest intracranial neoplasms. While histologically benign, NFPAs sometimes become large enough to limit therapeutic options and reduce quality of life. Investigations of the molecular etiology of NFPAs have failed to identify prevalent genetic changes and, while a role for p53 has been suggested, TP53 gene alterations have yet to be described in NFPAs. We found that the polymorphism rs1042522:C > G in codon 72 of exon 4 of the TP53 gene, whose C variant produces a proline and is more common in most ethnicities, has a G variant producing an arginine in 79.8% of NFPAs (n = 42; p < 1.411 × 10^-18 vs. 1000 Genomes database), causing patients to present a decade earlier with symptomatic NFPAs. In cultured NFPA cells, transfection with the rs1042522 G variant versus the C variant reduced expression of cell arrest gene p21 and increased proliferation. These findings suggest that this TP53 polymorphism influences NFPA growth.