title: Functional epidermal growth factor gene polymorphisms and risk of gastric cancer.
abstract: Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is critical in cancer progression and various genotypes of the EGF gene have been reported to be correlated with susceptibility to gastric cancer; however, the results are unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the associations of functional EGF gene polymorphisms and risk of gastric cancer in a Chinese population. We genotyped seven functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the EGF gene [rs3756261, rs11568835 and rs4444903 in the promoter region; rs11568943, rs2237051 and rs11569017 in the non-synonymous exon region and rs3733625 in the 3' untranslated region (UTR)] in a hospital-based case-control study, including 387 gastric cancer cases and 392 healthy controls by polymerase chain reaction-ligation detection reaction (PCR-LDR) methods. We found that individuals carrying the AG/GG genotype of rs2237051 (Ile to Met) in the exon region had an increased risk of gastric cancer (adjusted OR=1.577; 95% CI=1.163-2.138), compared with the wild-type homozygous AA genotype. The heterozygous AG/GG genotype of rs3733625 in the 3'UTR demonstrated a protective effect (adjusted OR=0.690; 95% CI=0.501-0.951), compared with the homozygous AA genotype. In addition, the effects of the two SNPs were more evident in intestinal gastric cancer (P<0.05); however, this was not case for the diffuse type (P>0.05). These findings indicate that a change in amino acids from isoleucine to methionine of rs2237051 and rs3733625 in the 3'UTR may contribute to the etiology of intestinal gastric cancer in the Chinese population.
authors: Department of Chinese and Western Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210046;
authors: Zhen
authors: Z
authors: Zhan
authors: Yajun
authors: Y
authors: Chen
authors: Juan
authors: J
authors: Wu
authors: Junfeng
authors: J
authors: Zhang
authors: Shujuan
authors: S
authors: Tong
authors: Chunbing
authors: C
authors: Zhang
authors: Yaping
authors: Y
authors: Yang
keywords: Chinese population; epidermal growth factor polymorphisms; gastric cancer; molecular epidemiology