title: Proline homozygosity in codon 72 of TP53 is a factor of susceptibility to nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Tunisia.
abstract: A common polymorphism at codon 72 of TP53, the gene encoding the tumor suppressor protein p53, encodes either arginine or proline. These variants may be associated with tumor susceptibility since they interfere with the ability of TP53 to activate apoptosis, and might account for ethnic variation in cancer frequency. Using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay, we tested peripheral blood samples from 115 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and from 83 healthy individuals. Patients with NPC (Arg/Arg = 38.26%, Arg/Pro = 41.73%, and Pro/Pro = 20%) showed a significantly different percentage of the Pro/Pro genotype, compared with the control population (Arg/Arg = 39%, Arg/Pro = 54%, and Pro/Pro = 7%) (P = 0.0307). No significant difference was observed between TP53 codon 72 polymorphism and age, sex, histological grade, and metastasis. These results provide evidence that individuals with the Pro/Pro genotype have an increased risk of developing NPC in Tunisia.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Molecular Genetics of Eukaryotes, Biotechnology Center of Sfax, Ministry for Research in Science, Technology, and Development, BP W 3018, Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Boutheina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hadhri-Guiga
authors.forename: Nabil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Toumi
authors.forename: Abdelmajid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khabir
authors.forename: Tahia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sellami-Boudawara
authors.forename: Abdelmoonem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghorbel
authors.forename: Jamel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Daoud
authors.forename: Mounir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frikha
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gargouri
authors.forename: Raja
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mokdad-Gargouri
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000235:genetics; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011392:Proline / Q000235:genetics*; D012016:Reference Values; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics*; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D011392:Proline