Associations of the calcium-sensing receptor gene CASR rs7652589 SNP with nephrolithiasis and secondary hyperparathyroidism in haemodialysis patients
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Authors: Grzegorzewska, Alicja E.; Paciorkowski, Mateusz; Mostowska, Adrianna; Frycz, Bartosz; Warchol, Wojciech; Stolarek, Ireneusz; Figlerowicz, Marek; Jagodzinski, Pawel P.
Abstract
Nephrolithiasis, secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT), and cardiovascular complications are associated with disturbances in Ca handling and contribute to morbidity/mortality during haemodialysis (HD). Calcimimetics, activators of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), provide an effective means of reducing parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion in sHPT. Polymorphism in CaSR gene (CASR) influences Ca-related parameters, however it was not shown in HD patients for CASR rs7652589. The minor allele at this polymorphism modifies the binding sites of transcription factors and CaSR expression. We hypothesized that CASR rs7652589 variants may also influence CaSR in end stage renal disease (ESRD). We aimed to determine the associations of rs7652589 with nephrolithiasis-related ESRD, Ca, P, ALP, PTH, response to treatment with cinacalcet, prevalence of coronary artery disease, and allcause/cardiovascular mortality in HD patients (n = 1162). Healthy individuals (n = 918) were controls. This study shows that the A allele of rs7652589 is a risk allele for nephrolithiasis-related ESRD. The AA genotype is associated with more severe sHPT (higher Ca and PTH concentrations). The A allele is associated with reduced CaSR transcript level in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. According to computational analysis, potential binding sites for GLI3, AHR and TP53 are removed by the A allele, whereas binding sites for SOX18 and TP63 are created.
Associations between RNA splicing regulatory variants of stemness-related genes and racial disparities in susceptibility to prostate cancer
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
Authors: Wang, Yanru; Freedman, Jennifer A.; Liu, Hongliang; Moorman, Patricia G.; Hyslop, Terry; George, Daniel J.; Lee, Norman H.; Patierno, Steven R.; Wei, Qingyi
Abstract
Evidence suggests that cells with a stemness phenotype play a pivotal role in oncogenesis, and prostate cells exhibiting this phenotype have been identified. We used two genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets of African descendants, from the Multiethnic/Minority Cohort Study of Diet and Cancer (MEC) and the Ghana Prostate Study, and two GWAS datasets of non-Hispanic whites, from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial and the Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium (BPC3), to analyze the associations between genetic variants of stemness-related genes and racial disparities in susceptibility to prostate cancer. We evaluated associations of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 25 stemness-related genes with prostate cancer risk in 1,609 cases and 2,550 controls of non-Hispanic whites (4,934 SNPs) and 1,144 cases and 1,116 controls of African descendants (5,448 SNPs) with correction by false discovery rate 0.2. We identified 32 SNPs in five genes (TP63, ALDH1A1, WNT1, MET and EGFR) that were significantly associated with prostate cancer risk, of which six SNPs in three genes (TP63, ALDH1A1 and WNT1) and eight EGFR SNPs showed heterogeneity in susceptibility between these two racial groups. In addition, 13 SNPs in MET and one in ALDH1A1 were found only in African descendants. The in silico bioinformatics analyses revealed that EGFR rs2072454 and SNPs in linkage with the identified SNPs in MET and ALDH1A1 (r(2)>0.6) were predicted to regulate RNA splicing. These variants may serve as novel biomarkers for racial disparities in prostate cancer risk. What's new? The mechanisms underlying prostate cancer disparities among racial groups remain largely unknown. Here, the authors assessed the role of stemness-related genetic variants in racial differences in prostate cancer risk by re-analyzing published datasets from four genome-wide association studies of African descendants and non-Hispanic whites. They found that SNPs in TP63, ALDH1A1, WNT1, MET and EGFR were significantly associated with prostate cancer risk and showed differences between the racial groups. Bioinformatics analyses revealed RNA splicing-regulatory SNPs in EGFR, MET and ALDH1A1 as possible novel biomarkers that may provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying racial disparities in prostate cancer risk.