Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Variant confidence”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,225 records · Page 68Linked to original sources

Homocysteine and risk of ischemic heart disease and stroke: a meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: It has been suggested that total blood homocysteine concentrations are associated with the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke. OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship of homocysteine concentrations with vascular disease risk. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE was searched for articles published from January 1966 to January 1999. Relevant studies were identified by systematic searches of the literature for all reported observational studies of associations between IHD or stroke risk and homocysteine concentrations. Additional studies were identified by a hand search of references of original articles or review articles and by personal communication with relevant investigators. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were included if they had data available by January 1999 on total blood homocysteine concentrations, sex, and age at event. Studies were excluded if they measured only blood concentrations of free homocysteine or of homocysteine after a methionine-loading test or if relevant clinical data were unavailable or incomplete. DATA EXTRACTION: Data from 30 prospective or retrospective studies involving a total of 5073 IHD events and 1113 stroke events were included in a meta-analysis of individual participant data, with allowance made for differences between studies, for confounding by known cardiovascular risk factors, and for regression dilution bias. Combined odds ratios (ORs) for the association of IHD and stroke with blood homocysteine concentrations were obtained by using conditional logistic regression. DATA SYNTHESIS: Stronger associations were observed in retrospective studies of homocysteine measured in blood collected after the onset of disease than in prospective studies among individuals who had no history of cardiovascular disease when blood was collected. After adjustment for known cardiovascular risk factors and regression dilution bias in the prospective studies, a 25% lower usual (corrected for regression dilution bias) homocysteine level (about 3 micromol/L [0.41 mg/L]) was associated with an 11% (OR, 0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83-0.96) lower IHD risk and 19% (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.69-0.95) lower stroke risk. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis of observational studies suggests that elevated homocysteine is at most a modest independent predictor of IHD and stroke risk in healthy populations. Studies of the impact on disease risk of genetic variants that affect blood homocysteine concentrations will help determine whether homocysteine is causally related to vascular disease, as may large randomized trials of the effects on IHD and stroke of vitamin supplementation to lower blood homocysteine concentrations.

Adult↗

Polymorphisms in the one-carbon metabolic pathway, plasma folate levels and colorectal cancer in a prospective study.

One-carbon (e.g., folate) metabolism plays a pivotal role in the etiology of colorectal cancer (CRC). Cytosolic serine hydroxymethyltransferase (cSHMT), methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (MTHFD1) and glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) are key genes involved in this pathway. Several new polymorphisms have been identified and there is evidence implicating their functionality. We examined whether polymorphisms in these genes, i.e., cSHMT L474F, MTHFD1 R653Q and GCPII H475Y, modify the risk of CRC in the prospective Physicians' Health Study. Among the 270 incident CRC cases and 453 controls, none of the one-carbon polymorphisms were associated with risk of CRC. Compared to the wild-type genotype, the multivariate-adjusted relative risks and 95% confidence intervals were 1.14 [0.68, 1.93] for cSHMT 474FF, 1.04 [0.67, 1.62] for MTHFD1 653QQ and 1.00 [0.55, 1.82] for GCPII 474HY. Furthermore, we examined the associations between one-carbon polymorphisms and folate status in terms of plasma folate and homocysteine levels in this population. No independent gene effect was observed. Although compound homozygous variants at cSHMT and MTHFD1 loci had the lowest plasma folate levels compared to other compound genotypes, no significant gene-gene interactions were observed. Findings from our prospective investigation indicate that these newly identified polymorphisms in one-carbon metabolizing genes have limited functionality in modifying folate status and related CRC risk.

Adult↗

Large-scale studies of the functional K variant of the butyrylcholinesterase gene in relation to Type 2 diabetes and insulin secretion.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Polymorphisms of the butyrylcholinesterase gene (BCHE) are reported to associate with Alzheimer's disease and a recent study found a significant association of the BCHE K variant (G1615A/Ala539Thr) with Type 2 diabetes. The objectives of our study were to examine whether the BCHE K variant is associated with Type 2 diabetes or estimates of pancreatic beta cell function in large-scale populations of glucose-tolerant Caucasians. METHODS: The variant was genotyped in association studies comprising a total of 1408 Type 2 diabetic patients and 4935 glucose-tolerant control subjects. Genotype-phenotype studies were carried out in the 4935 glucose-tolerant control subjects. RESULTS: There was no difference in allele frequency between Type 2 diabetic patients and control subjects (20.3% [95% confidence interval: 18.8-21.8] vs 20.4% [19.6-21.2], non-significant). In the genotype-phenotype studies we found no consistent association with BMI, fasting or post-OGTT plasma glucose, serum insulin or serum C-peptide levels. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: The present study does not support the suggestion that the BCHE K polymorphism is associated with Type 2 diabetes or with estimates of pancreatic beta cell function in large-scale Danish Caucasian populations.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms: diet, estrogen, and risk of colon cancer.

5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key enzyme in folate metabolism, diverting metabolites toward methylation reactions or nucleotide synthesis. Using data from an incident case-control study (1608 cases and 1972 controls) we investigated two polymorphisms in the MTHFR gene, C677T and A1298C, and their associations with risk of colon cancer. All of the combined genotypes were evaluated separately, and the 1298AA/677CC (wild-type/wild-type) group was considered the reference group. Among both men and women, the 677TT/1298AA (variant/wild-type) genotype was associated with a small reduction in risk [men: odds ratio (OR), 0.7, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.5-1.0; women: OR, 0.8, 95% CI, 0.5-1.2]. However, the 677CC/1298CC (wild-type/variant) genotype was associated with a statistically significant lower risk among women (OR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4-0.9) but not men. When the polymorphisms were considered individually, for A1298C a significant risk reduction associated with the homozygous variant CC genotype was seen among women only (OR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.5-0.9), and nonstatistically significant reduced risks were observed for the variant 677 TT genotypes among both men and women. Stratification by nutrient intakes showed inverse associations with higher intakes of folate, vitamin B(2), B(6), B(12), and methionine among women with the MTHFR 677CC/1298AA genotypes, but not those with 677TT/1298AA. We observed opposite risk trends for both MTHFR variants, depending on whether women used hormone-replacement therapy or not (P for interaction = <.01). In summary, this study supports recent findings that the MTHFR A1298C polymorphism may be a predictor of colon cancer risk and have functional relevance. The possible interaction with hormone-replacement therapy warrants additional investigation.

Adult↗

Rare HRAS1 alleles are a risk factor for the development of brain tumors.

BACKGROUND: The highly polymorphic HRAS1 minisatellite locus, located 1 kilobase downstream from the H-ras1 gene, has been associated with increased susceptibility to a variety of cancers. Microsatellite instability (MI), another molecular abnormality observed in human neoplasms, most likely reflects an increased mutation rate and also is thought to underlie cancer predisposition. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between rare HRAS1 alleles and brain tumors and to correlate the HRAS1 allelotype with MI and clinicopathologic features. METHODS: Ninety-four patients with primary brain tumors (52 gliomas, 32 meningiomas, and 10 schwannomas) and 109 healthy control individuals were studied. The size of HRAS1 alleles was determined by fluorescent detection in an automated DNA sequencer. The interspersion pattern was assessed by the minisatellite variant repeat-polymerase chain reaction technique. RESULTS: Twenty of 94 (21.28%) patients with brain tumors had at least one rare allele, compared with 13 of 109 (11.92%) in the control population (Fisher exact test; P = 0.0329). The presence of rare alleles was associated with an increased risk of brain tumors (odds ratio, 1.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.93-4.27). The overrepresentation of rare alleles in tumor patients mainly reflects the higher frequency observed in the glioma group (P = 0.0086). The authors did not detect association between the presence of rare HRAS1 alleles and MI in their series. No significant difference in the distribution of these alleles was found when tumors were compared according to other clinicopathologic variables. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of rare HRAS1 alleles is associated with an increased risk for the development of glial neoplasms (OR = 2.72; 95% CI, 1.17-6.32). The lack of association between rare HRAS1 polymorphisms and MI suggests that these two genetic factors are not likely to be expression of the same underlying defect.

Alleles↗

Poly (AT) polymorphism in intron 11 of the XPC DNA repair gene enhances the risk of lung cancer.

Reduced DNA repair capacity due to inherited polymorphisms may increase the susceptibility to smoking-related cancers. In this report, we investigate the relationship between xeroderma pigmentosum complementary group C poly (AT) insertion/deletion polymorphism (XPC-PAT) of the XPC gene and lung cancer risk in a hospital-based case-control study of 359 newly diagnosed lung cancer patients and 375 control subjects matched on age, sex, and catchment area. The XPC genotype was determined by PCR-RFLP, and the results were analyzed using logistic regression, adjusting for relevant covariates. We found that the frequency of the PAT+/+ genotype was higher in the cases (20.6%) than in the controls (14.1%; P = 0.057) and that the PAT+/+ subjects were at significantly increased risk for lung cancer [adjusted odds ratio (OR), 1.60; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.01-2.55]. Stratified analysis revealed that the risk was higher in former smokers (OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.07-4.31) and older people (OR, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.02-7.51), although this probably occurs due to 63.4% of cases older than 73 years being ex-smokers. When stratified by histologic type, the variant genotype was associated with statistically significant increased risk for squamous cell carcinoma (OR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.06-3.51). In conclusion, our findings support the hypothesis that PAT and intron 11 C/A XPC polymorphisms are linked in the Spanish population and may contribute to the risk of developing lung cancer probably due to a higher frequency of deletion of exon 12 and reduced DNA repair capacity of the XPC protein.

Adult↗

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphism, alcohol intake, and risks of colon and rectal cancers in Korea.

Several, but not all, studies have reported that a variant genotype of the polymorphism (C677T) of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), an enzyme in folate metabolism, is associated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer. A case-control study was conducted to investigate the association of MTHFR polymorphism and heavy alcohol intake to colon and rectal cancer in Korean. Cases were a consecutive series of patients with histologically confirmed, incident colorectal cancer who were admitted to two university hospitals in Seoul, Korea between 1998 and 2000, and controls were selected at the same hospitals. A total of 243 cases (colon 111, rectum 132) and 225 controls were enrolled. While the genotype of MTHFR was not associated with the overall risk of colorectal cancer, increased colon cancer risk was found to be associated with the CT and TT genotypes combined (multivariate odds ratio [OR] 2.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-3.53) compared with the wild type. The risk of rectal cancer was found to be, though statistically non-significant, lower in those with the CT and TT genotypes combined (multivariate OR 0.67, 95% CI: 0.43-1.07). Those consuming two or more drinks per day (30 g+/day) had nearly twice the colorectal cancer risk (multivariate OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.03-3.68) of light or non-drinkers (<5 g/day). The present study did not find a reduced risk of colorectal or rectal cancer among those with a variant genotype of the MTHFR polymorphism, but observed rather an increased risk of colon cancer, suggesting that the effects of the MTHFR genotype may differ in populations with different levels of folate intake.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Effects of a 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein inhibitor on biomarkers associated with risk of myocardial infarction: a randomized trial.

CONTEXT: Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of death in the world. Variants in the 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein (FLAP) gene are associated with risk of MI. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of an inhibitor of FLAP on levels of biomarkers associated with MI risk. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: A randomized, prospective, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of an inhibitor of FLAP (DG-031) in MI patients who carry at-risk variants in the FLAP gene or in the leukotriene A4 hydrolase gene. Of 268 patients screened, 191 were carriers of at-risk variants in FLAP (87%) or leukotriene A4 hydrolase (13%). Individuals were enrolled in April 2004 and were followed up by designated cardiologists from a university hospital in Iceland until September 2004. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were first randomized to receive 250 mg/d of DG-031, 500 mg/d of DG-031, 750 mg/d of DG-031, or placebo. After a 2-week washout period, patients received DG-031 if they had received placebo first or placebo if they had received DG-031 first. Treatment periods lasted for 4 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in levels of biomarkers associated with risk of MI. RESULTS: In response to 750 mg/d of DG-031, production of leukotriene B4 was significantly reduced by 26% (95% confidence interval [CI], 10%-39%; P = .003) and myeloperoxidase was significantly reduced by 12% (95% CI, 2%-21%; P = .02). The higher 2 doses of DG-031 produced a nonsignificant reduction in C-reactive protein (16%; 95% CI, -2% to 31%; P = .07) at 2 weeks. However, there was a more pronounced reduction (25%; 95% CI, 5%-40%; P = .02) in C-reactive protein at the end of the washout period that persisted for another 4 weeks thereafter. The FLAP inhibitor DG-031 was well tolerated and was not associated with any serious adverse events. CONCLUSION: In patients with specific at-risk variants of 2 genes in the leukotriene pathway, DG-031 led to significant and dose-dependent suppression of biomarkers that are associated with increased risk of MI events.

5-Lipoxygenase-Activating Proteins↗

Polymorphisms in Th1-type cell-mediated response genes and risk of gastric cancer.

Helicobacter pylori infection, the dominant risk factor for gastric cancers, has been shown to elicit T helper type 1 (Th1) polarized immunological responses. We conducted a population-based study of 305 gastric cancer cases and 427 age- and gender-matched controls in Warsaw, Poland, to evaluate the association with several variants in genes responsible for Th1-cell-mediated response. Genotyping was performed on genomic DNA by TaqMan(TM) assays to determine TNFA (-308 G>A, -417 G>A, -555 G>A, -1036 C>T, -1042 C>A, -1210 T>C), IL1A (-889 C>T), IFNGR2 (Ex7-128 T>C, Ex2-34 C>G and Ex2-16 A>G) and IL12A (IVS2-798 T>A, IVS2-701 C>A and Ex7+277 G>A) polymorphisms. We used unconditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusting for sex, age, education and smoking status. Out of six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) tested in TNFA, gastric cancer risk was significantly associated with the TNFA (-308 G>A) polymorphism, with ORs of 1.4 (95% CI: 1.0-2.0) for the G/A and 2.5 (95% CI: 1.3-4.9) for the A/A genotype carriers, when compared with the more frequent genotype (G/G) (P-trend < 0.001). Among the three tested SNPs in the IFNGR2 gene, only the Ex7-128C>T polymorphism was associated with increased risk, with ORs of 1.5 (95% CI: 1.0-2.3) for T/C and 1.7 (95% CI: 1.1-2.7) for C/C carriers when compared with T/T carriers (P-trend = 0.01). Subjects carrying both IFNGR2 Ex7-128 C/C and TNFA -308 A/A genotypes had the highest risk (OR = 5.5, 95% CI: 1.5-19.4), although the interaction was not statistically significant. IL1A (-889 C>T) and the three examined IL12A variants were unrelated to gastric cancer risk. Our findings suggest that two Th1-related polymorphisms (TNFA -308 A>G and IFNGR2 Ex7-128 C>T) may increase the risk of gastric cancer.

Adult↗

Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) genotype and early treatment response to mercaptopurine in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

CONTEXT: Early response to multiagent chemotherapy, including mercaptopurine, as measured by minimal residual disease is an important prognostic factor for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) is involved in the metabolism of mercaptopurine and subject to genetic polymorphism, with heterozygous individuals having intermediate and homozygous mutant individuals having very low TPMT activity. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of TPMT genotype with minimal residual disease load before and after treatment with mercaptopurine in the early treatment course of childhood ALL. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: TPMT genotyping of childhood ALL patients (n = 814) in Germany consecutively enrolled in the ALL-BFM (Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster) 2000 study from October 1999 to September 2002. Minimal residual disease was analyzed on treatment days 33 and 78 for risk-adapted treatment stratification. A 4-week cycle of mercaptopurine was administered between these 2 minimal residual disease measurements. Patients (n = 4) homozygous for a mutant TPMT allele, and consequently deficient in TPMT activity, were treated with reduced doses of mercaptopurine and, therefore, not included in the analyses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Minimal residual disease load before (day 33) and after (day 78) mercaptopurine treatment. Loads smaller than 10(-4) were defined as negative. RESULTS: Patients (n = 55) heterozygous for allelic variants of TPMT conferring lower enzyme activity had a significantly lower rate of minimal residual disease positivity (9.1%) compared with patients (n = 755) with homozygous wild-type alleles (22.8%) on day 78 (P = .02). This translated into a 2.9-fold reduction in risk for patients with wild-type heterozygous alleles (relative risk, 0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.13-0.86). CONCLUSIONS: TPMT genotype has a substantial impact on minimal residual disease after administration of mercaptopurine in the early course of childhood ALL, most likely through modulation of mercaptopurine dose intensity. Our findings support a role for minimal residual disease analyses in the assessment of genotype-phenotype associations in multiagent chemotherapeutic trials.

Adolescent↗

Polymorphisms in the glutathione S-transferase M1, T1, and P1 genes and prostate cancer prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes can increase oxidative stress, which may affect cancer prognosis. The aim of this study was to examine associations between GSTM1, T1, or P1 genetic variants and prostate cancer outcomes. METHODS: A population-based cohort of men (n = 752) from King County, Washington, diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1993-1996, and under long-term surveillance for mortality completed a follow-up survey about prostate cancer recurrence/progression. Cox PH models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for deaths from prostate cancer or other causes and prostate cancer recurrence/progression. RESULTS: There were 50 prostate cancer-specific deaths, 65 deaths from other causes, and 143 recurrence/progressions events during an average 9.6 years of follow-up. The adjusted HR for prostate cancer mortality was 3.8 (95% CI 1.6-8.9) among Caucasian men with the GSTM1-null genotype. There were no differences, however, in mortality from other causes or prostate cancer recurrence/progression between men with GSTM1-null versus not-null genotypes. The GSTT1 and GSTP1 genotypes were not associated with any of these outcomes. DISCUSSION: Results suggest that the GSTM1 genotype may be a useful biomarker to identify patients at higher risk for fatal prostate cancer.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

Altered signal intensity in the posterior horn of the medial meniscus: an MR finding of questionable significance.

INTRODUCTION: MR imaging has emerged as an important modality in the non-invasive evaluation of osseous and soft-tissue structures in the post-traumatic knee. However, it is sometimes impossible to determine with confidence if a focus of high signal intensity in the meniscus is confined to the substance of the meniscus or if it extends to involve the joint surface. This is a critical differentiation because the latter represents meniscal tears that can be found and treated arthroscopically, whereas the former represents degeneration, intrasubstance tears or perhaps normal variants that are not amenable to arthroscopic intervention. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of such borderline findings in relation to the posterior horn of the medial meniscus and to correlate the arthroscopic results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-four patients with suspected post-traumatic internal derangements of the knee who underwent MR imaging prior to arthroscopy were evaluated retrospectively. There were 48 men and 16 women. Their mean age was 28.2 years. RESULTS: Tears of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus were diagnosed unequivocally (grade 3 signal) in 18 patients and equivocally (grade 2/3 signal) in 10 patients. Arthroscopic correlation revealed 16 tears (89%) in the unequivocal group and only 1 tear (10%) in the equivocal group. CONCLUSION: A meniscal tear is unlikely when MR shows a focus of high signal intensity in the posterior horn of the medial meniscus that does not unequivocally extend to involve the inferior or superior joint surface. An appropriate trial of conservative treatment is recommended in such questionable cases. MR is a useful diagnostic tool-however, it should be used selectively, and in conjunction with history and clinical examination in evaluating internal derangements of the knee.

Adolescent↗

Associations of delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase genotype with plant, exposure duration, and blood lead and zinc protoporphyrin levels in Korean lead workers.

Previous studies have suggested that polymorphisms in delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD), a heme synthetic enzyme, may be associated with differences in blood lead levels, perhaps due to differential binding of lead in erythrocytes. The authors examined associations of ALAD genotype with blood lead and zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) levels, exposure duration, sex, and plant in 308 currently exposed lead workers in three lead storage battery manufacturing plants in the Republic of Korea in 1993. The overall prevalence of the variant allele, ALAD2, was 11%, but prevalence varied by plant (p = 0.02: 8.6% in plant A, 20% in plant B, and 22% in plant C). While ALAD2 was not associated with mean blood lead levels, the allele was associated with blood lead levels greater than or equal to 40 micrograms/dl (crude odds ratio (OR) = 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-6.3; adjusted OR = 2.3, 95% CI 0.8-6.2, with adjustment for sex, plant, and exposure duration) and with exposure durations greater than 6 years (adjusted OR = 2.5, 95% CI 1.2-5.4, with adjustment for blood lead, sex, and plant). Among workers in plant C, the highest exposure plant, ALAD2 was associated with lower ZPP levels when controlling for blood lead levels. These data suggest that lead toxicokinetics may be modified by ALAD genotype and that ALAD2 may be protective for the health effects of lead. ALAD genotype also appears to have been a selection factor for current lead exposure status in the studied workers.

Adult↗

Outcome of kidney transplantation in patients with inherited thrombophilia: data of a prospective study.

Inherited prothrombotic risk factors predispose patients to thromboembolic events. In kidney transplant recipients, thrombophilia may manifest itself with venous thrombosis, microvascular occlusion, or acute rejection with major consequences for allograft survival. This is a prospective study on 165 renal allograft recipients to evaluate the contribution of genetic thrombophilic risk factors to transplant outcome. Besides antithrombin, protein C, and protein S deficiencies, none of which was found in our patient group, factor V G1691A (FV G1691A), prothrombin G20210A (PT G20210A) mutations, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C677T polymorphisms were studied. The primary endpoint of the study was occurrence of an acute rejection within the first 90 d and transplant loss within 1 yr. Heterozygous FV G1691A and PT G20210A mutations and the MTHFR T677T variant were significantly associated with acute rejections with rejection rates of 68%, 67%, and 71%, respectively, as compared with 35% in patients not carrying these genotypes. Many rejections that were histologically proven were acute vascular ones. Transplant loss was significantly associated exclusively with the PT G20210A group (50% 1-yr graft survival; odds ratio, 10.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.8 to 56.1). PT G20210A patients exerted the highest prothrombotic activity pretransplant, as determined by prothrombin 1.2 fragments (PT F1.2), which may be the background for minor outcome. In conclusion, common prothrombotic mutations are significantly associated with acute rejections, especially vascular rejections, and for PT G20210A also with early transplant failure. Screening for hypercoagulable states pretransplant is recommended to intensify anticoagulatory treatment posttransplant.

Adult↗

Mouse homologues of human hereditary disease.

Details are given of 214 loci known to be associated with human hereditary disease, which have been mapped on both human and mouse chromosomes. Forty two of these have pathological variants in both species; in general the mouse variants are similar in their effects to the corresponding human ones, but exceptions include the Dmd/DMD and Hprt/HPRT mutations which cause little, if any, harm in mice. Possible reasons for phenotypic differences are discussed. In most pathological variants the gene product seems to be absent or greatly reduced in both species. The extensive data on conserved segments between human and mouse chromosomes are used to predict locations in the mouse of over 50 loci of medical interest which are mapped so far only on human chromosomes. In about 80% of these a fairly confident prediction can be made. Some likely homologies between mapped mouse loci and unmapped human ones are also given. Sixty six human and mouse proto-oncogene and growth factor gene homologies are also listed; those of confirmed location are all in known conserved segments. A survey of 18 mapped human disease loci and chromosome regions in which the manifestation or severity of pathological effects is thought to be the result of genomic imprinting shows that most of the homologous regions in the mouse are also associated with imprinting, especially those with homologues on human chromosomes 11p and 15q. Useful methods of accelerating the production of mouse models of human hereditary disease include (1) use of a supermutagen, such as ethylnitrosourea (ENU), (2) targeted mutagenesis involving ES cells, and (3) use of gene transfer techniques, with production of 'knockout mutations'.

Animals↗

Polymorphisms and haplotypes in the cytochrome P450 17A1, prolactin, and catechol-O-methyltransferase genes and non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk.

Expression of prolactin and of prolactin and estrogen receptors in lymphocytes, bone marrow, and lymphoma cell lines suggests that hormonal modulation may influence lymphoma risk. Prolactin and estrogen promote the proliferation and survival of B cells, factors that may increase non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk, and effects of estrogen may be modified by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme that alters estrogenic activity. Cytochrome P450 17A1 (CYP17A1), a key enzyme in estrogen biosynthesis, has been associated with increased cancer risk and may affect lymphoma susceptibility. We studied the polymorphisms prolactin (PRL) -1149G>T, CYP17A1 -34T>C, and COMT 108/158Val>Met, and predicted haplotypes among a subset of participants (n = 308 cases, n = 684 controls) in a San Francisco Bay Area population-based non-Hodgkin lymphoma study (n = 1,593 cases, n = 2,515 controls) conducted from 1988 to 1995. Oral contraceptive and other hormone use also was analyzed. Odds ratios (OR) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and follicular lymphoma were reduced for carriers of the PRL -1149TT genotype [OR, 0.64; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.41-1.0; OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.26-1.0, respectively]. Diffuse large-cell lymphoma risk was increased for those with CYP17A1 polymorphisms including CYP17A1 -34CC (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1-3.5). ORs for all non-Hodgkin lymphoma and follicular lymphoma among women were decreased for COMT IVS1 701A>G [rs737865; variant allele: OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.34-0.82; OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.23-0.78, respectively]. Compared with never users of oral contraceptives, a 35% reduced risk was observed among oral contraceptive users in the total population. Reduced ORs for all non-Hodgkin lymphoma were observed with use of exogenous estrogens among genotyped women although 95% CIs included unity. These results suggest that PRL, CYP17A1, and COMT may be relevant genetic loci for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and indicate a possible role for prolactin and estrogen in lymphoma pathogenesis.

Adult↗

Association of variants in critical core promoter element of angiotensinogen gene with increased risk of essential hypertension in Japanese.

We examined the association between variants in the core promoter element 1 (AGCE1) of the human angiotensinogen gene (AGT), which acts as a critical regulator of AGT transcription, and the risk for hypertension. One hundred and eighty patients with documented essential hypertension and a family history of hypertension and 194 control subjects without hypertension were selected and frequency matched by age and sex. Genomic DNA from leukocytes was analyzed for genetic variants (position: -20 to -18) in AGCE1. The haplotype in AGCE1 was significantly associated with increased risk of essential hypertension (P<.05). The frequency of subjects with homozygous C allele at position -18(CC/C-18T) was significantly higher in case patients than in control subjects (P<.005), and the evaluated odds ratio for hypertension was 4.2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4 to 12.8, CC/C-18T versus CT/C-18T). The homozygous threonine allele at codon 235 (TT/M235T) in exon 2 of AGT was also associated with hypertension (P<.02; odds ratio, TT versus other genotypes, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.7). According to haplotype analysis between AGT polymorphisms, we identified linkage disequilibrium between M235T and A-20C and between M235T and C-18T. We conclude that C-18T polymorphism in AGCE1 is a genetic risk factor for essential hypertension in the Japanese and is more tightly and directly associated with hypertension than TT/M235T.

Aged↗

Glutathione S-transferase variants and their interaction with smoking on lung function.

We studied glutathione S-transferase (GST) polymorphisms in 1,098 whites with the lowest (n = 544, FEV(1) % predicted mean +/- SEM = 62.6 +/- 0.1) and the highest (n = 554, FEV(1) % predicted mean +/- SEM = 91.8 +/- 0.1) lung function at the beginning of the Lung Health Study. Homozygosity for GSTP1 105Val was significantly more frequent in the low- than in the high-function group (13.2 vs. 9.3%) (odds ratio = 1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11-2.61, p = 0.016), after adjustment for confounding variables. Subjects with 105Val homozygotes had higher rates of lung function decline in the high-function group (p = 0.017). The frequencies of GSTM1, GSTT1 null genotypes were similar between the high- and low-function groups, but subjects with the GSTT1 null genotype had a faster decline of lung function in the low-function group (p = 0.032). In addition, there was a significant interaction of GSTT1 genotype and pack-years on lung function. When comparing individuals with GSTT1 null genotype with wild type, the adjusted odds ratio was 3.49 (95% CI, 1.48-8.39, p = 0.005) in mild smokers (< or = 25 pack years). We conclude that GST genotypes are risk factors for rapid decline or low lung function in smokers with mild to moderate airflow obstruction.

Acyltransferases↗