Association of genetic polymorphisms at 1q22 but not 10q23 with gastric cancer in a southern Chinese population

Oncogene PLCE1 may be a diagnostic biomarker and prognostic biomarker by influencing cell cycle, proliferation, migration, and invasion ability in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal malignancy worldwide. HCC has traits of late diagnosis and high recurrence. This study explored potential diagnosis and prognosis significance of phospholipase C epsilon 1 (PLCE1) in HCC. The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels and diagnostic value of PLCE1 were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and online databases GEPIA, oncomine, and GSE14520 data set. Survival analysis used the Kaplan-Meier Plotter website. Cell cycle, proliferation, migration, and invasion assays were performed with downregulated PLCE1 expression in HCC-M and HepG2 cell lines. PLCE1 was differentially expressed and highly expressed in tumors and had low expression in nontumor tissues (all p < .05). The diagnostic value of PLCE1 was validated with the datasets (all p < .01, all areas under curves > 0.7). PLCE1 mRNA expression was associated with the overall and relapse-free survival (both p < .05). Functional experiments indicated that downregulation of PLCE1 expression led to increased G1 stage in cell cycle and decreased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion compared with a negative control group (all p ≤ .05). The oncogene PLCE1 was differentially expressed in HCC and non-HCC tissues. It is a candidate for diagnosis and serves as prognosis biomarker. PLCE1 influenced survival by affecting the cell cycle, proliferation, migration, and invasion ability.

Correlation between PLCE1 rs2274223 variant and digestive tract cancer: A meta-analysis

Background

The relationship between phospholipase C ε‐1 (PLCE1) rs2274223 variant and digestive tract cancer remains inconclusive despite extensive investigations. Therefore, we performed this meta‐analysis to obtain a more credible conclusion.

Methods

PubMed, Medline, and Embase were systematic searched. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.

Results

A total of 27 studies were finally included. Pooled analyses suggested that PLCE1 rs2274223 variant was significantly correlated with the likelihood of esophageal cancer (dominant model: p < 0.001, OR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.72–0.83; recessive model: p < 0.001, OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.12–1.45; additive model: p < 0.001, OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.11–1.29; allele model: p < 0.001, OR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.74–0.88) and gastric cancer (recessive model: p = 0.001, OR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.10–1.47; allele model: p = 0.03, OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.78–0.98) in overall population. Further subgroup analyses showed that the positive results were mainly driven by the East Asians. However, no positive results were detected in Caucasians and West Asians.

Conclusion

Our findings indicated that the PLCE1 rs2274223 variant might serve as a promising genetic biomarker of esophageal and gastric cancer in East Asians.

MUC1 rs4072037 polymorphism is associated with decreased risk of gastric cancer: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Several studies have recently investigated the association between mucin 1 (MUC1) rs4072037 polymorphism and gastric cancer (GC) risk, but with conflicting results. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the association between MUC1 rs4072037 polymorphism and GC risk.

METHODS

A comprehensive database search of PubMed, Elsevier, Embase and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases was performed to identify relevant studies. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of any association.

RESULTS

A total of 12 papers containing 18 studies were included in this meta-analysis, involving 12,373 cases and 15,008 controls. Our data suggested that rs4072037 polymorphism was associated with a decreased risk of GC. Stratification analyses of ethnicity indicated that rs4072037 decreased the risk of GC among white populations, but no significant relationship was observed among Asian populations. No significant associations were observed in subgroups of Lauren classification (intestinal or diffuse) and anatomical classification (cardia or non-cardia).

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggested that rs4245739 polymorphism in the MUC1 gene may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of GC, especially for white populations.

Two novel polymorphisms in PLCE1 are associated with the susceptibility to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Chinese population

Esophageal cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer-associated death worldwide. Phospholipase C epsilon 1 (PLCE1) gene was found to be associated with the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) by three large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in Chinese populations. To evaluate the association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PLCE1 gene and ESCC risk, a case-control study including 550 patients with ESCC and 550 age, gender-matched controls was carried out to investigate the genetic susceptibility of three SNPs (rs3765524 C/T and two unreported potentially functional SNPs rs10882379 G/A and rs829232 G/A) as well as the interactions of gene-gene and gene-environment in the development of ESCC. And the results showed that GA genotype of rs10882379 was significantly associated with reduced ESCC risk compared with GG genotype (adjusted OR [95% CI]: 0.66 [0.51, 0.86]), while AA genotype of rs829232 was significantly associated with increased ESCC risk compared with GG genotype (adjusted OR [95% CI]: 1.37 [1.12, 1.67]). The haplotype analysis showed increased ESCC risk in Grs10882379Crs3765524Ars829232 and Grs10882379Trs3765524Ars829232 haplotypes with OR (95% CI) of 1.40 (1.13, 1.73) and 1.66 (1.18, 2.34), respectively and inversely reduced ESCC risk in Ars10882379Crs3765524Grs829232 haplotype with OR (95% CI) of 0.74 (0.61, 0.91). The gene-environment interaction analysis emerged a best model consisted of four factors (rs10882379, rs3765524, rs829232 and family history of ESCC) that could increase the ESCC risk in the 'high risk group' with 4.45-fold (OR [95% CI]: 5.45 [4.13, 7.19]), compared to the 'low risk group.' Our results further validate that the SNPs in PLCE1 gene may contribute to the ESCC susceptibility in Chinese Han population. Also the gene-gene and gene-environment interactions play a certain crucial role in the ESCC progression.

SNP interactions of Helicobacter pylori-related host genes PGC, PTPN11, IL1B, and TLR4 in susceptibility to gastric carcinogenesis

A series of host genes that respond to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection are involved in the process of gastric carcinogenesis. This study sought to examine interactions among polymorphisms of H. pylori-related genes PGC, PTPN11, TLR4, and IL1B and assess whether their interaction effects were modified by H. pylori infection. Thirteen polymorphisms of the aforementioned genes were genotyped by the Sequenom MassARRAY platform in 714 gastric cancer patients, 907 atrophic gastritis cases and 1276 healthy control subjects. When we considered the host genetic effects alone, gene–gene interactions consistently decreased the risks of gastric cancer and/or atrophic gastritis, including three two-way interactions: PGC rs6912200-PTPN11 rs12229892, PGC rs4711690-IL1B rs1143623 and PTPN11 rs12229892-IL1B rs1143623 and a three-way interaction: PGC rs4711690-PGC rs6912200-PTPN11 rs12229892. When the effect modification of H. pylori infection was evaluated, the cumulative effects of the aforementioned three-way interaction on atrophic gastritis susceptibility switched from being beneficial to being risky by the status of H. pylori infection. These data showed that SNP interactions among H. pylori-related genes PGC, PTPN11, and IL1B, are associated with susceptibility to gastric carcinogenesis. Moreover, we provided important hints of an effect modification by H. pylori infection on the cumulative effect of PGC and PTPN11 polymorphisms. Functional experiments and further independent large-scale studies especially in other ethnic populations are still needed to confirm our results.

Association between PLCE1 rs2274223 A > G polymorphism and cancer risk: proof from a meta-analysis

Phospholipase C epsilon 1 (PLCE1) plays an important role in cell growth, differentiation and oncogenesis. An increasing number of individual studies have investigated the association between PLCE1 rs2274223 polymorphism and cancer risk, but the conclusions are inconclusive. To obtain a comprehensive conclusion, we performed a meta-analysis of 22 studies with 13188 cases and 14666 controls. The pooled results indicated that PLCE1 rs2274223 A > G polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of overall cancer (G vs. A: OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.06-1.25; GG vs. AA: OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.10-1.55; GA vs. AA: OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.08-1.30; GG/GA vs. AA: OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.08-1.32; GG vs.

GA/AA

OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.04-1.42). The stratification analysis showed the polymorphism was significantly associated with an increased risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) other than gastric cancer (GC), especially among the subgroups of Asian, high quality score, sample size > 1000 and the studies consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). This meta-analysis demonstrated that PLCE1 rs2274223 A > G polymorphism may be associated with increased susceptibility to cancer, especially for ESCC. However, due to the substantial heterogeneities across the studies, the conclusion might be not conclusive that need more studies to confirm.

MUC1 gene polymorphism rs4072037 and susceptibility to gastric cancer: a meta-analysis

The association between MUC1 polymorphism rs4072037 and the risk of gastric cancer has been described in several studies. However, these studies yielded inconsistent results, especially in different pathological type of gastric cancer. Therefore, we performed this meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between MUC1 gene polymorphism and gastric cancer susceptibility. A comprehensive database search was performed to identify eligible studies. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated to assess the strength of the association between MUC1 rs4072037 and risk of gastric cancer. Subgroup analyses, publication bias, and sensitivity analyses were also conducted. PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and CNKI databases were systematically searched to identify relevant studies. A total of 9 studies (12 datasets) were included in the meta-analysis including 10,410 cases and 11,437 controls. Overall, the G allele at rs4072037 of MUC1 gene was associated with a significant decreased gastric cancer risk (OR=0.70, 95% CI: 0.64-0.76). The association was significant in both anatomic location and pathological subtype subgroup analyses. However, the association was detected in Asian rather than Caucasian. Our findings demonstrate that the presence of the G allele at rs4072037 of the MUC1 gene may contribute to protection against gastric cancer in Asian. Further large studies of multiethnic groups are needed to validate these findings.

Serum Helicobacter pylori NapA antibody as a potential biomarker for gastric cancer

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is strongly associated with gastric cancer. However, only a minority of infected individuals ever develop gastric cancer. This risk stratification may be in part due to differences among strains. The relationship between neutrophil-activating protein (NapA) and gastric cancer is unclear. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the significance of NapA as a biomarker in gastric cancer. We used enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine the status of H. pylori infection. Indirect ELISA method was used for detection of NapA antibody titer in the serum of H. pylori infected individuals. Unconditional logistic regressions were adopted to analyze the variables and determine the association of NapA and gastric cancer. The results of study indicated serum H. pylori NapA antibody level were associated with a reduced risk for development of gastric cancer. It may be used in conjugation with other indicators for gastric cancer detection.

Common genetic variants at 1q22 and 10q23 and gastric cancer susceptibility in a Korean population

Genetic variants at 1q22 and 10q23 were identified as genetic markers of both gastric cancer and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma susceptibility by two genome-wide association studies. The aim of this study was to determine whether rs4072037A > G in MUC1 at 1q22 and rs2274223A > G in PLCE1 at 10q23 are associated with a risk of gastric cancer in a Korean population. We conducted a large-scale case-control study of 3,245 patients with gastric cancer and 1,700 controls. The allele frequencies of rs4072037G and rs2274223G were 11.2 and 25.5% among patients with gastric cancer, compared with 12.8 and 26.4%, respectively, among controls. We found that the rs4072037 AG genotype was significantly associated with a reduced risk of gastric cancer [odds ratios (OR) = 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.67-0.91 for AG vs AA]. Compared with the rs2274223 AA genotype, we found a significant association between the rs2274223 AG genotype and a weakly reduced risk of gastric cancer (OR = 0.87; 95% CI = 0.76-0.99 for AG vs AA). Our data suggest that genetic variants at 1q22 and 10q23 play a role in gastric carcinogenesis.

Helicobacter pylori infection synergizes with three inflammation-related genetic variants in the GWASs to increase risk of gastric cancer in a Chinese population

Background

Three recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have reported that three SNPs (rs4072037, rs13361707 and rs2274223) located on genes related to host inflammatory response are significantly associated with susceptibility to gastric cancer (GC) in Chinese populations. Helicobacter pylori infection is also an important risk factor for GC through causing inflammatory response in the gastric mucosa. However, no study has established whether there are potential gene-environment interactions between these genetic variants and H. pylori infection to the risk of GC.

Methods

We genotyped three polymorphisms (rs4072037 at 1q22, rs13361707 at 5p13, and rs2274223 at 10q23) in 335 Chinese gastric adenocarcinoma patients and 334 controls. H. pylori serology was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between the variables and GC risk.

Results

We confirmed that the three SNPs (rs4072037, rs13361707 and rs2274223) were significantly associated with GC susceptibility. H. pylori infection also significantly increased the risk of GC. Furthermore, there were joint effects between H. pylori infection and the three SNPs on the risk of GC. The most elevated risk of GC was found in subjects with H. pylori seropositivity and AA genotypes for rs4072037 [odds ratio (OR), 3.95; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.29–6.79], H. pylori seropositivity and CT/CC genotypes for rs13361707 (OR, 2.68; 95% CI, 1.62–4.43), H. pylori seropositivity and AG/GG genotypes for rs2274223 (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.55–3.88) compared with those with H. pylori seronegativity and other genotypes of each SNP. Significant interactions were observed between H. pylori seropositivity and the three SNPs (all P_{G× E} <0.05) to the risk of GC.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that the three SNPs (rs4072037, rs13361707 and rs2274223) identified in the GWASs may interact with H. pylori infection to increase the risk of GC.