Association of the Estrogen Receptor 1 Polymorphisms rs2046210 and rs9383590 with the Risk, Age at Onset and Prognosis of Breast Cancer

A systematic review of candidate genes and their relevant pathways for metastasis among adults diagnosed with breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Presently incurable, metastatic breast cancer is estimated to occur in as many as 30% of those diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Timely and accurate identification of those at risk for developing metastasis using validated biomarkers has the potential to have profound impact on overall survival rates. Our primary goal was to conduct a systematic review and synthesize the existing body of scientific knowledge on the candidate genes and their respective single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with metastasis-related outcomes among patients diagnosed with breast cancer. This knowledge is critical to inform future hypothesis-driven and validation research aimed at enhancing clinical decision-making for breast cancer patients.

METHODS

Using PRISMA guidelines, literature searches were conducted on September 13th, 2023, using PubMed and Embase databases. The systematic review protocol was registered with INPLASY (DOI: https://doi.org/10.37766/inplasy2024.8.0014 ). Covidence software was used to facilitate the screening and article extraction processes. Peer-reviewed articles were selected if authors reported on single nucleotide polymorphisms directly associated with metastasis among adults diagnosed with breast cancer.

FINDINGS

We identified 451 articles after 44 duplicates were removed resulting in 407 articles to be screened for study inclusion. Three reviewers completed the article screening process which resulted in 86 articles meeting the study inclusion criteria. Sampling varied across studies with the majority utilizing a case-control design (n = 75, 87.2%), with sample sizes ranging from 23 to 1,017 participants having mean age 50.65 ± 4.50 (min-max: 20-75). The synthesis of this internationally generated evidence revealed that the scientific area on the underlying biological contributions to breast cancer metastasis remains predominantly exploratory in nature (n = 74, 86%). Of the 12 studies with reported power analyses, only 9 explicitly stated the power values which ranged from 47.88 to 99%.

DISCUSSION

Understanding the underlying biological mechanisms contributing to metastasis is a critical component for precision oncological therapeutics and treatment approaches. Current evidence investigating the contribution of SNPs to the development of metastasis is characterized by underpowered candidate gene studies. To inform individualized precision health practices and improve breast cancer survival outcomes, future hypothesis-driven research is needed to replicate these associations in larger, more diverse datasets.

The Influence of ESR2 Gene Polymorphisms on Susceptibility to Hepatitis B Virus-Related Chronic Hepatitis, Liver Cirrhosis, and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents an estrogen-dependent tumor. The action of estrogen is regulated via estrogen receptor (ER). Polymorphisms in ERα gene, ESR1, are known to be related to HCC susceptibility among people carrying chronic hepatitis B (CHB). But the effect of ERβ on HCC is still largely unclear, and studies about the genetic variability of ESR2 and HCC are rare. For understanding ESR2's effect on HCC, this work tested two polymorphisms in the ESR2 gene promoter as well as the associations with CHB, HCC, and hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver cirrhosis (LC) among the Guangxi population. This work enrolled a total of 137 CHB, 136 LC, and 149 HBV-related HCC patients, together with 146 normal subjects. ESR2 polymorphisms rs3020449 and rs2978381 were examined using the SNaPshot genotyping technique. The AG genotype and dominant model of rs3020449 were related to the decreased CHB susceptibility. In both the overall and subgroup analyses, no associations were observed with the remaining models in all patient groups (those with CHB, HBV-related LC, and HCC), but associations were found between the dominant (TC+CC vs TT) and allele models (C vs T) of rs2978381 and increased HBV-related LC and HCC susceptibility, but not CHB. These findings suggest that rs3020449 polymorphism of ESR2 gene makes great contribution to the decreased CHB risk and that rs2978381 significantly contributed to higher risks of HBV-related LC and HCC.

Potential Role of Glyphosate, Glyphosate-Based Herbicides, and AMPA in Breast Cancer Development: A Review of Human and Human Cell-Based Studies

The potential connection between exposure to glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) and breast cancer risk is a topic of research that is rapidly gaining the public's attention due to the conflicting reports surrounding glyphosate's potential carcinogenicity. In this review, we synthesize the current published biomedical literature works that have explored associations of glyphosate, its metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), and GBHs with breast cancer risk in humans and human cell-based models. Using PubMed as our search engine, we identified a total of 14 articles that were included in this review. In the four human studies, urinary glyphosate and/or AMPA were associated with breast cancer risk, endocrine disruption, oxidative stress biomarkers, and changes in DNA methylation patterns. Among most of the 10 human cell-based studies, glyphosate exhibited endocrine disruption, induced altered gene expression, increased DNA damage, and altered cell viability, while GBHs were more cytotoxic than glyphosate alone. In summary, numerous studies have shown glyphosate, AMPA, and GBHs to have potential carcinogenic, cytotoxic, or endocrine-disruptive properties. However, more human studies need to be conducted in order for more definitive and supported conclusions to be made on their potential effects on breast cancer risk.

The rs2046210 Polymorphism Is Associated with Endometriosis Risk and Elevated Estrogen Receptor 1 Expression in the Eutopic Endometrium of Women with the Disease

In this focused genetic case-control study, we analyzed two functional single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) associated with breast cancer risk (rs2046210, rs9383590) and one risk SNV for an implantation defect and infertility (rs9340799) for their association with endometriosis susceptibility, progression and ESR1 gene regulation in endometriosis patients. The rs2046210, rs9383590 and rs9340799 SNVs were genotyped in 153 endometriosis patients and 87 control subjects with Caucasian ancestry. We analyzed the association of all SNVs with endometriosis susceptibility in all patients and in subgroups and assessed the concordance between the SNVs. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR was used to determine ESR1 gene expression in the eutopic endometrial tissue of the controls and endometriosis patients. The heterozygous rs2046210 GA genotype was associated with significantly increased endometriosis risk, particularly in younger, leaner and infertile women and with an increased ESR1 gene expression in the eutopic endometrium of these patients, compared to controls. The minor AA genotype of rs2046210 was identified as a potential risk factor for endometriosis progression in women with mild endometriosis. The results from this analysis indicate that rs2046210 may be a functional genetic variant associated with endometriosis development and progression.

A Review on Cyclodextrins/Estrogens Inclusion Complexes

This review focuses on the methods of preparation and biological, physiochemical, and theoretical analysis of the inclusion complexes formed between estrogens and cyclodextrins (CDs). Because estrogens have a low polarity, they can interact with some cyclodextrins' hydrophobic cavities to create inclusion complexes, if their geometric properties are compatible. For the last forty years, estrogen-CD complexes have been widely applied in several fields for various objectives. For example, CDs have been used as estrogen solubilizers and absorption boosters in pharmaceutical formulations, as well as in chromatographic and electrophoretic procedures for their separation and quantification. Other applications include the removal of the endocrine disruptors from environmental materials, the preparation of the samples for mass spectrometric analysis, or solid-phase extractions based on complex formation with CDs. The aim of this review is to gather the most important outcomes from the works related to this topic, presenting the results of synthesis, in silico, in vitro, and in vivo analysis.