Sulfotransferase 1A1 (SULT1A1) polymorphism and breast cancer risk in Chinese women.
BACKGROUND
Sulfonation catalyzed by sulfotransferase enzymes plays an important role in chemical defense mechanisms against various xenobiotics but also bioactivates carcinogens. A major human sulfotransferase, SULT1A1, catalyzes the sulfation of a variety of phenolic and estrogenic compounds. A functional polymorphism of the SULT1A1 gene has been implicated in a decreased activity and thermostability when the wild-type arginine (Arg) at codon 213 is substituted by a histidine (His).


METHODS
We investigated the association between the His allele and the risk breast cancer in 213 cases and 430 matched controls in Chinese women, and the interaction between His allele and endogenous estrogen and dietary mutagens exposure factors were also determined by use of logistic regression analysis.


RESULTS
There was no significant difference in genotypes between the cancer patients and control populations. However, the frequency of the His allele in cases (13.6%) were significant higher than that in controls (9.5%), P = 0.03. Compared with women carrying the Arg/Arg genotype, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of Arg/His was 1.48 (95% CI = 0.59-3.31) and His/His was 2.28 (95% CI = 0.69-9.58), P trend was 0.04. The adjusted OR of Arg/His + His/His was 2.60 (95% CI = 1.12-6.05). His allele strengthen the effect of endogenous estrogen exposure with interaction index r > 1, and weaken the effect of heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons derived from dietary with interaction index r > 1, both were multiplicative interaction model.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that the SULT1A1 His allele was positively associated with the risk of breast cancer in Chinese women. And there was interaction between SULT1A1 polymorphism and related exposure factors.
Han
Ding-Fen
DF
Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Public Health School of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. dingfenhan@msn.com
Zhou
Xin
X
Hu
Ming-Bai
MB
Wang
Chun-Hong
CH
Xie
Wei
W
Tan
Xiao-Dong
XD
Zheng
Fang
F
Liu
Fang
F
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015239:Arylsulfotransferase; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012307:Risk Factors; D015238:Sulfotransferases / Q000235:genetics*
D015238:Sulfotransferases; D015239:Arylsulfotransferase; C117544:SULT1A1 protein, human