title: A common variant near TERC and telomere length are associated with susceptibility to childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Chinese.
abstract: Telomeres are involved in maintaining chromosomal stability, cellular immortality and tumorigenesis. A recent genome-wide association study has identified an association between telomere length and two common variants (rs12696304 and rs16847897) at 3q26 that includes TERC. We hypothesized that the two variants and relative telomere length (RTL) would be predictors of the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). A case-control study of 570 cases and 673 cancer-free controls among Chinese children was performed. We found that there was a protective relationship between the second and third quartiles of RTL and risk of ALL [adjusted odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) by quartile: 0.65 (0.47-0.91), 0.56 (0.40-0.79)], compared with the first quartile (shortest) RTL. Moreover, rs16847897 CG genotype increased the risk of childhood ALL by 29% compared with the CC genotype. Our findings indicate that extreme telomere length may be a potential predictor for future risk of ALL, and TERC rs16847897 may contribute to the development of childhood ALL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Cancer Center, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaojing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: Limei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dewei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Meilin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yongjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhengdong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D002893:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 3 / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics*; D012307:Risk Factors; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics*; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C422952:telomerase RNA; D012313:RNA; D019098:Telomerase