title: Mutation Screening and Association Study of the Folylpolyglutamate Synthetase (FPGS) Gene with Susceptibility to Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS), an important enzyme in the folate metabolic pathway, plays a central role in intracellular accumulation of folate and antifolate in several mammalian cell types. Loss of FPGS activity results in decreased cellular levels of antifolates and consequently to polyglutamatable antifolates in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
  
  
  METHODS
  During May 1997 and December 2003, 134 children diagnosed with ALL were recruited from one hospital in Thailand. We performed a mutation analysis in the coding regions of the FPGS gene and the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within FPGS in a case-control sample of childhood ALL patients. Mutation screening was conducted by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and subsequently with direct sequencing (n=72). Association analysis between common FPGS variants and ALL risk was done in 98 childhood ALL cases and 95 healthy volunteers recruited as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven SNPs in the FPGS coding region were identified by mutation analysis, 3 of which (IVS13+55C>T, g.1297T>G, and g.1508C>T) were recognized as novel SNPs. Association analysis revealed 3 of 6 SNPs to confer significant increase in ALL risk these being rs7039798 (p= 0.014, OR=2.14), rs1544105 (p=0.010, OR= 2.24), and rs10106 (p=0.026, OR= 1.99).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggested that common genetic polymorphisms in the FPGS coding region including rs7039789, rs1544105, and rs10106 are significantly associated with increased ALL risk in Thai children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Thailand E-mail : budsaba.rer@mahidol.ac.th.
authors.forename: Duangjai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Piwkham
authors.forename: Teerapong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Siriboonpiputtana
authors.forename: Joke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beuten
authors.forename: Samart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pakakasama
authors.forename: Jonathan Al
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gelfond
authors.forename: Karan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Paisooksantivatana
authors.forename: Gail E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
authors.forename: Budsaba
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rerkamnuaychoke
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010453:Peptide Synthases / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D010453:Peptide Synthases; C023103:folylpolyglutamate synthetase