title: Melatonin pathway genes and breast cancer risk among Chinese women.
abstract: Previous studies suggest that melatonin may act on cancer growth through a variety of mechanisms, most notably by direct anti-proliferative effects on breast cancer cells and via interactions with the estrogen pathway. Three genes are largely responsible for mediating the downstream effects of melatonin: melatonin receptors 1a and 1b (MTNR1a and MTNR1b), and arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT). It is hypothesized that genetic variation in these genes may lead to altered protein production or function. To address this question, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the association between common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the MTNR1a, MTNR1b, and AANAT genes and breast cancer risk among 2,073 cases and 2,083 controls, using a two-stage analysis of genome-wide association data among women of the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study. Results demonstrate two SNPs were consistently associated with breast cancer risk across both study stages. Compared with MTNR1b rs10765576 major allele carriers (GG or GA), a decreased risk of breast cancer was associated with the AA genotype (OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.62-0.97, P = 0.0281). Although no overall association was seen in the combined analysis, the effect of MTNR1a rs7665392 was found to vary by menopausal status (P-value for interaction = 0.001). Premenopausal women with the GG genotype were at increased risk for breast cancer compared with major allele carriers (TT or TG) (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.07-2.31, P = 0.020), while postmenopausal women were at decreased risk (OR = 0.58, 95% 0.36-0.95, P = 0.030). No significant breast cancer associations were found for variants in the AANAT gene. These results suggest that common genetic variation in the MTNR1a and 1b genes may contribute to breast cancer susceptibility, and that associations may vary by menopausal status. Given that multiple variants in high linkage disequilibrium with MTNR1b rs76653292 have been associated with altered function or expression of insulin and glucose family members, further research may focus on clarifying this relationship.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Institute for Medicine and Public Health, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Eighth Floor, Suite 800. 2525 West End Ave, Nashville, TN 3720-1738, USA. sandra.l.deming@Vanderbilt.Edu
authors.forename: Sandra L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Deming
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beeghly-Fadiel
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Qiuyin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Jirong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Xiao Ou
authors.initials: XO
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.forename: Yu-Tang
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D047068:Arylalkylamine N-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D008550:Melatonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause; D044122:Receptor, Melatonin, MT1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D044123:Receptor, Melatonin, MT2 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D044122:Receptor, Melatonin, MT1; D044123:Receptor, Melatonin, MT2; C478879:AANAT protein, human; D047068:Arylalkylamine N-Acetyltransferase; D008550:Melatonin