Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in PLCE1 for Cancer Risk of Different Types: A Meta-Analysis

PLCE1 Polymorphisms Are Associated With Gastric Cancer Risk: The Changes in Protein Spatial Structure May Play a Potential Role

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most significant health problems worldwide. Some studies have reported associations between Phospholipase C epsilon 1 (PLCE1) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and GC susceptibility, but its relationship with GC prognosis lacked exploration, and the specific mechanisms were not elaborated fully yet. This study aimed to further explore the possible mechanism of the association between PLCE1 polymorphisms and GC.

Materials and Methods

A case-control study, including 588 GC patients and 703 healthy controls among the Chinese Han population, was performed to investigate the association between SNPs of PLCE1 and GC risk by logistic regression in multiple genetic models. The prognostic value of PLCE1 in GC was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier plotter. To explored the potential functions of PLCE1, various bioinformatics analyses were conducted. Furthermore, we also constructed the spatial structure of PLCE1 protein using the homology modeling method to analyze its mutations.

Results

Rs3765524 C > T, rs2274223 A > G and rs3781264 T > C in PLCE1 were associated with the increased risk of GC. The overall survival and progression-free survival of patients with high expression of PLCE1 were significantly lower than those with low expression [HR (95% CI) = 1.38 (1.1–1.63), P < 0.01; HR (95% CI) = 1.4 (1.07–1.84), P = 0.01]. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that PLCE1 was associated with protein phosphorylation and played a crucial role in the calcium signal pathway. Two important functional domains, catalytic binding pocket and calcium ion binding pocket, were found by homology modeling of PLCE1 protein; rs3765524 polymorphism could change the efficiency of the former, and rs2274223 polymorphism affected the activity of the latter, which may together play a potentially significant role in the tumorigenesis and prognosis of GC.

Conclusion

Patients with high expression of PLCE1 had a poor prognosis in GC, and SNPs in PLCE1 were associated with GC risk, which might be related to the changes in spatial structure of the protein, especially the variation of the efficiency of PLCE1 in the calcium signal pathway.

The Effects of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Cancer RNAi Therapies

Simple Summary

Despite the recent progress in RNAi delivery of siRNA-based therapeutics for cancer therapy, the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the general population could dramatically reduce the effectiveness of RNAi therapy. Their ubiquitous presence can also lead to unpredictable and adverse side effects. Because both SNPs and somatic mosaicisms have also been implicated in a number of human diseases including cancer, however, these specific changes offer the ability to selectively and efficiently target cancer cells. Here, we discuss how SNPs influence the development and success of novel anticancer RNAi therapies.

Abstract

Tremendous progress in RNAi delivery methods and design has allowed for the effective development of siRNA-based therapeutics that are currently under clinical investigation for various cancer treatments. This approach has the potential to revolutionize cancer therapy by providing the ability to specifically downregulate or upregulate the mRNA of any protein of interest. This exquisite specificity, unfortunately, also has a downside. Genetic variations in the human population are common because of the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). SNPs lead to synonymous and non-synonymous changes and they occur once in every 300 base pairs in both coding and non-coding regions in the human genome. Much less common are the somatic mosaicism variations associated with genetically distinct populations of cells within an individual that is derived from postzygotic mutations. These heterogeneities in the population can affect the RNAi’s efficacy or more problematically, which can lead to unpredictable and sometimes adverse side effects. From a more positive viewpoint, both SNPs and somatic mosaicisms have also been implicated in human diseases, including cancer, and these specific changes could offer the ability to effectively and, more importantly, selectively target the cancer cells. In this review, we discuss how SNPs in the human population can influence the development and success of novel anticancer RNAi therapies and the importance of why SNPs should be carefully considered.

The PLCE1 rs2274223 variant is associated with the risk of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) ranks second in the mortality rate in respiratory malignant tumors and has potential similarity in genomic alterations with the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The PLCE1 rs2274223 variant is the most significant susceptibility loci identified in ESCC. Whether it is also associated with LSCC susceptibility is still unclear. Materials and Methods: A total of 331 LSCC patients and 349 healthy controls were recruited in this study. The PLCE1 rs2274223 variant was genotyped by using the Taqman SNP Genotyping Assay. Association between PLCE1 rs2274223 variant and LSCC risk was estimated by logistic regression analysis, which was performed using SAS software. Results: The PLCE1 rs2274223 variant was identified to be significantly associated with the susceptibility of LSCC in the additive model (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.06-1.86, P=0.019). Compared with the wild-type (AA) carriers, the risk genotype (GG) carriers had a 2.8-fold risk of LSCC (95% CI: 1.13-7.06, P=0.026). Stratified analysis showed that the association between rs2274223 and LSCC risk was with higher significance in individuals above 60 (P = 0.027) males (P = 0.030) or non-smokers (P = 0.026). Conclusion: The PLCE1 rs2274223 variant was significantly associated with risk of LSCC, which may be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for the LSCC.