Specific haplotypes of the RET proto-oncogene are over-represented in patients with sporadic papillary thyroid carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), which may be sporadic (95%) or familial (5%), has a prevalence adjusted for age in the general population of 1:100 000. Somatic rearrangements of the RET proto-oncogene are present in up to 66% of sporadic tumours, while they are rarely found in familial cases.


OBJECTIVE
In order to determine if some variants of this gene, or a combination of them, might predispose to PTC, we looked for an association of RET haplotype(s) in PTC cases and in controls from four countries matched for sex, age, and population.


METHODS
Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the RET coding sequence were typed and haplotype frequencies were estimated. Genotype and haplotype distributions were compared among these cases and controls.


RESULTS
Ten haplotypes were observed, the seven most frequent of which have been previously described in sporadic Hirschsprung patients and controls. The single locus analyses suggested association of exon 2 and exon 13 SNPs with sporadic PTC. The haplotype analysis showed over-representation of one haplotype in French and Italian sporadic PTC, whereas a different haplotype was significantly under-represented in French familial PTC.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that some variants of RET and some specific haplotypes may act as low penetrance alleles in the predisposition to PTC.
Lesueur
F
F
International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
Corbex
M
M
McKay
J D
JD
Lima
J
J
Soares
P
P
Griseri
P
P
Burgess
J
J
Ceccherini
I
I
Landolfi
S
S
Papotti
M
M
Amorim
A
A
Goldgar
D E
DE
Romeo
G
G
D000367:Age Factors; D000483:Alleles; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005838:Genotype; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes / Q000235:genetics*; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C416649:Ret protein, Drosophila