[X-chromosomal inactivation skewing in blood cells is associated with early development of lung].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the relationship between skewed X-chromosomal inactivation (SXCI) and development of lung cancer in females.


METHODS
DNA was isolated from peripheral blood cells from patients with primary lung cancer (n = 148) and control subjects (n =289). Exon 1 of androgen receptor ( AR) gene was amplified, with its products from different alleles resolved on denaturing polyacrylamide gels and visualized by silver staining. The corrected ratio (CR) between products from different AR alleles before and after Hpa II pretreatment was calculated. All statistical tests were two-sided.


RESULTS
With CR> or = 10 adopted as the criterion, SXCI was found more frequently in the younger patients ( C50 years; 7. 9%) than in the controls of the same age group (1. 2% ; P = 0. 046). The SXCI frequency, however, were not significantly different between the old patients ( > 50 years; 4. 5% ) and the controls of the same age group (5. 4% ; P =0. 488). Whether taking CR> or =3 or CR> or =10 as the criteria, the average ages of the patients with SXCI were more than 10 years younger than those without SXCI (P < 0. 05).


CONCLUSIONS
SXCI in blood cells is associated with early development of lung cancer in females.
Li
Gang
G
Department of Pathology, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710038, China.
Su
Qin
Q
Liu
Gui-qiu
GQ
Gong
Li
L
Zhang
Wei
W
Zhu
Shao-jun
SJ
Zhang
He-long
HL
Feng
Ying-ming
YM
Zhang
Yu-hai
YH
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D041321:Chromosomes, Human, X / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019003:Deoxyribonuclease HpaII / Q000378:metabolism; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics; D049951:X Chromosome Inactivation
D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D004247:DNA; D019003:Deoxyribonuclease HpaII