XRCC1 polymorphism and lung cancer risk in relation to tobacco smoking

DNA repair plays a critical role in protecting the genome of the cell from carcinogens or ionising radiation. Reduced DNA-repair capacity can increase susceptibility to occupational-induced cancer. Three coding polymorphisms at codons 194, 280, and 399 in X-ray cross complementing group 1 (XRCC1) DNA-repair gene have been identified, and it is possible that these polymorphisms may affect DNA- repair capacity and thus modulate cancer susceptibility. In the current German study, we investigated the role of XRCC1-polymorphisms as a genetic modifier of risk for individuals with lung cancer as susceptible genotypes, especially in relation to tobacco smoking. Three polymorphisms; XRCC1 Arg194Trp, XRCC1 Arg280His and XRCC1 Arg399Gln, were determined by real-time PCR analysis in 446 lung cancer patients and 622 controls. The observed allele frequencies in the population were within the range described for Caucasians. Multivariate analyses of lung cancer patients who carried at least one mutant variant allele of XRCC1 Arg194Trp (OR=1.03; 95%-CI: 0.66-1.61), XRCC1 Arg280His (OR=0.95; 95%-CI: 0.57-1.60), or XRCC1 Arg399Gln (OR=0.99 CI: 0.73-1.34), did not show any elevated risks. When analysed by histology, no individual subtype of lung cancer was significantly associated with the polymorphisms. Lung cancer risk rose significantly with higher cumulative cigarette consumption. Stratified analysis between tobacco smoking and variant genotypes revealed increasing risks for heavy smokers (>60 pack-years), with the presence of at least one copy of the XRCC1 Arg194Trp variant allele (OR=79.29; 95%-CI: 8.53-737.04) and the XRCC1 Arg399Gln (OR=61.87; 95%-CI: 15.65-244.67). By analysing the interaction between tobacco smoking and the genotypes, combined smoking and having the susceptible genotypes did not show a joint effect. In this study, the XRCC1 Arg194Trp, XRCC1 Arg280His, and XRCC1 Arg399Gln-polymorphisms, had no relevant modifying effect on lung cancer risk and cumulative smoking dose.     

Genetic variations in DNA-repair genes (XRCC1, 3, and 7) and the susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma in a cohort of Egyptians

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a worldwide etiology of chronic hepatic insult particularly in Egypt. DNA-repair systems are responsible for maintaining genomic integrity by countering threats posed by DNA lesions. Deficiency in the repair capacity due to genetic alterations in DNA-repair genes can lead to genomic instability and increased risk of cancer development. The present work aimed at studying the possible association between XRCC1-G28152A (rs25487), XRCC3-C18067T (rs861539), and XRCC7-G6721T (rs7003908) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Egyptian population. The study was conducted on 100 newly diagnosed HCC patients and 100 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Laboratory workup revealed that all HCC patients have chronic hepatitis C viral infection. Genotyping of the studied SNPs was performed by real-time PCR. The heteromutant genotype of XRCC1 (GA) conferred an almost two-fold increased risk of HCC (OR , 2.35; 95% CI, 1.33-4.04). Regarding XRCC7, the heteromutant (TG) genotype conferred a two-fold increased risk of HCC (OR , 2.17; 95% CI, 1.23-3.82). Coinheritance of the polymorphic genotypes of XRCC1 and 7 was significantly higher in HCC cases than controls and was associated with an 11-fold increased risk of HCC (OR , 11.66; 95% CI, 2.77-49.13). The frequency of XRCC3 polymorphic genotypes in HCC patients was close to that of the controls.     

Influence of DNA repair gene polymorphisms on the yield of chromosomal aberrations

We evaluated the influence of several DNA repair gene polymorphisms on the frequency of chromosomal aberrations (CAs) analyzed in peripheral lymphocytes, using the fluorescence in situ hybridization technique. The CA data were obtained from an earlier study of 84 healthy nonsmokers (48 women and 36 men) carefully characterized for indoor radon exposure. The frequency of translocations showed a wide interindividual variability, which was only partly explained by age. To investigate the potential role of DNA repair polymorphisms in this variation, genotypes of DNA repair genes OGG1 (codon 326), XPD (codon 751), XRCC1 (X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1) (codons 194, 280, and 399), and XRCC3 (X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3) (codon 241) were determined from leukocyte DNA using polymerase chain reaction-based methods. Negative binomial regression models were applied to evaluate the effect of the polymorphisms and other factors (age, gender, radon exposure, and medical exposure) on the frequency of CAs. No interactions between genotypes and radon, medical exposure, or gender were found. Carriers of the XRCC1 codon 280His variant allele had a two-fold increase (frequency ratio [FR] = 2.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01-3.98; P = 0.046) in unstable exchanges (dicentrics and ring chromosomes). In addition, the XRCC3 codon 241 homozygous variant genotype (Met/Met) was associated with an increase (FR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.06-2.74; P = 0.028) in two-way translocations when age was taken into account in the analysis. Our data suggest that the XRCC1 280His and XRCC3 241Met alleles affect individual CA levels, most probably via influencing the DNA repair phenotype.     

Polymorphism in nucleotide excision repair gene XPC correlates with bleomycin-induced chromosomal aberrations

Chromosomal aberrations (CAs) are important genetic alterations in the development and progression of the majority of human cancers. The frequency with which such alterations occur depends to a large extent on polymorphisms of DNA-repair genes and in genes coding for xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, which are involved in the processes of activation and inactivation of xenobiotics. The frequency of bleomycin (BLM)-induced CAs is an indirect measure of the effectiveness of DNA repair mechanisms, and a predictor of environment-related risk of cancer. Our study was conducted on the human peripheral blood lymphocytes of 82 healthy volunteers. The aim of the study was to elucidate whether the frequency of BLM-induced CAs is correlated with polymorphisms of selected genes involved in different mechanisms of DNA repair such as: XRCC1 [base excision repair]; XPA, XPC, XPG, XPD, XPF, ERCC1 [nucleotide excision repair], NBS1, RAD51, XRCC2, XRCC3, RAD51, and BRCA1 [homologous recombination], as well as in genes encoding xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, such as CYP1A, CYP2E1, NAT2, GSTT1, and EPHX (mEH). Our study indicated that, of the polymorphisms studied, only XPC (exon 15 and intron 11) is associated with BLM-induced CAs, suggesting a role of the NER pathway in the repair of BLM-induced chromosomal aberrations.     

DNA repair gene XRCC1 and XPD polymorphisms and the risk of idiopathic azoospermia in a Chinese population

Genetic polymorphisms in DNA repair genes may influence individual variation in DNA repair capacity and further influence the risk of developing cancer. However, little information is available on these polymorphisms in infertility. To investigate whether polymorphisms in DNA repair genes, X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) and xeroderma pigmentosum group D (XPD), alone or in combination, are associated with the risk of developing idiopathic azoospermia, the genotype and allele frequencies of three observed polymorphisms (XRCC1 Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln, and XPD Lys751Gln) were examined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism based on a Chinese population consisting of 171 idiopathic azoospermia patients and 247 normal-spermatogenesis fertile controls. Associations between the polymorphisms and the idiopathic azoospermia risk were estimated by logistic regression, and the Statistical analysis system was used to test the gene-gene joint effects. All observed polymorphisms were in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The XPD 751Gln allele seemed to be a risk allele for azoospermia, with a frequency of 11.40% in the cases and 5.67% in the controls (p=0.004). Compared with the Lys/Lys genotype, the XPD 751 Lys/ increased 5.100- or 3.064-fold, respectively, when combined with the XRCC1 194 Arg/Arg or 399 Arg/Arg genotype. In conclusion, our study provided the first evidence that the XPD and XRCC1 polymorphisms contributed to the risk of developing idiopathic azoospermia in a selected Chinese population.     

Polymorphisms in the thymidylate synthase promoter and the DNA repair genes XRCC1 and XPD in a Brazilian population

Polymorphisms in genes responsible for maintaining genomic integrity are potential modifiers of disease risk. Since considerable interindividual and interethnic variation in DNA repair capacity has been associated with polymorphic alleles, we evaluated the frequency of the 2R/3R variants in the TS promoter, Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln in the XRCC1 gene, and Asp312Asn and Lys751Gln in the XPD gene in 364 healthy individuals from a Brazilian population separated by ethnicity (European ancestry and African ancestry). The genotypes were determined by PCR (TS) or by PCR-RFLP (XRCC1 and XPD). The frequency of the TS 3R allele was 0.56 for whites and 0.51 for nonwhites. In the case of the XRCC1 MspI polymorphism, the allele frequencies were 0.09 for 194Trp in both nonwhites and whites and 0.27 and 0.28 for 399Gln in nonwhites and whites, respectively. For the XPD 312Asn allele, we found a frequency of 0.25 in white individuals, which was significantly different (P = 0.025) from that seen in nonwhites (0.15). Similarly, the 751Gln polymorphic allele of the XPD gene was significantly more frequent (P < 0.002) in whites (0.30) than in nonwhites (0.20). The genotype frequencies were within Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. We concluded that the genotype and allele frequencies of XPD gene polymorphism differed between white and nonwhite Brazilians, and that the frequencies of the XPD 312Asn and XRCC1 399Gln alleles in this Brazilian population showed ethnic variability when compared with those observed in other populations.     

Influence of common XPD and XRCC1 variant alleles on p53 mutations in lung tumors

The DNA repair proteins XPD and XRCC1 are involved in the nucleotide and base excision repair of DNA lesions induced by many tobacco and environmental carcinogens. Common variant alleles at the XPD (312Asn, 751Gln) and XRCC1 (399Gln) loci have been identified and associated with increased risk for lung cancer. We therefore investigated a possible effect of these variant alleles on the frequency and spectrum of p53 mutations in the tumors of 97 Swedish lung cancer patients (56 never-smokers and 41 age-, gender-, and hospital-matched ever-smokers). The p53 gene was mutated in 4 never-smokers (7%) and 11 ever-smokers (27%). Smoking-related transversion-type mutations predominated over transitions among smokers (8:3), but not among never-smokers (1:3). None of the variant alleles altered the overall frequency of p53 mutation. Transversions, however, were marginally increased among patients with at least one XPD variant allele compared with patients who were wild-type homozygotes (73% vs. 25% for the Asp312Asn polymorphism, P = 0.095; 78% vs. 33% for Lys751Gln, P = 0.085). Five of six women or six of seven smokers who carried at least one XPD 751Gln allele had p53 transversion. The XRCC1 variant allele did not show any effect on the p53 mutation. We conclude that the XPD variant alleles may be associated with an increased frequency of smoking-related p53 mutations in lung tumors, presumably due to reduced DNA repair proficiency.     

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in base-excision repair genes hOGG1, APE1 and XRCC1 do not alter risk of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with a poorly understood etiology. There is considerable evidence that oxidative stress occurs in AD and increased DNA damage has been found in brain tissues and leukocytes of AD patients. Base excision repair (BER) is the major pathway responsible for removing oxidative DNA damage. Polymorphisms in DNA-repair genes have been associated with the increased risk of several age-related disorders including various types of cancer and could also be related to the etiology of AD. We conducted a case-control study including 91 patients with AD and age- and sex-matched 93 control subjects to examine the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms of BER genes, hOGG1 (Ser326Cys), APE1 (Asp148Glu) and XRCC1 (Arg280His and Arg399Gln) as a risk factor for AD. The frequencies of the hOGG1-Ser326Cys, APE1-Asp148Glu and XRCC1-Arg280His and XRCC1-Arg399Gln variant alleles in our control group were 0.23, 0.31, 0.10 and 0.33, respectively. No significant association was observed between the variant alleles of hOGG1-Ser326Cys (OR=1.32, 95% CI=0.83-2.11), APE1-Asp148Glu (OR=1.08, 95% CI=0.70-1.68), XRCC1-Arg280His (OR=0.53, 95% CI=0.24-1.14) and XRCC1-Arg399Gln (OR=1.05, 95% CI=0.68-1.63) and AD. Our results suggest that the polymorphic variants of these BER genes are not independent risk factors for AD.     

XRCC1、hOGG1基因多态性与喉癌遗传易感性的关系

目的 探讨X线修复交叉互补组1基因(X-ray repair cross complementing group 1,XRCC1)、8-羟基鸟嘌呤修复酶基因(human 8-oxoguanine glycosylase I,hOGG1)多态性与喉癌遗传易感性的关系.方法 采用病例-对照设计,应用聚合酶链反应-限制性片段长度多态性分析法检测了72例经病理确诊的喉癌患者和随机抽样的72例无肿瘤、无遗传病对照者XRCC1-Arg399Gln、hOGG1-Ser326Cys多态性.结果 病例组XRCC1第399位密码子杂合型(Arg/Gln)及突变型(Gln/Gln)和hOGG1第326位密码子杂合型(Ser/Cys)及突变型(Cys/Cys)分布频率均高于对照组(P＜0.05),与携带XRCC1-399野生型(Arg/Arg)、hOGG1-326野生型(Ser/Ser)个体相比,携带该基因型的个体喉癌的发病风险分别升高了3.37和2.54倍.交互作用分析显示,吸烟组与不吸烟组相比,携带XRCC1、hOGG1各基因型的个体的喉癌发病风险差异未发现存在统计学意义(xH12=0.15,xH22=0.28,P＞0.05).结论 XRCC1-399位点Arg→Gln和hOGG1-326位点Ser→Cys的氨基酸替换可能导致喉癌的发病风险增加,XRCC1-Arg399Gln、hOGG1-Ser326Cys多态性可能与喉癌的遗传易感性有关.     

北京地区汉族人群DNA修复基因XPD单核苷酸多态性与肺癌及食管癌风险的研究

目的：研究核苷酸切除修复基因XPD单核苷酸多态性与北京地区汉族人群肺癌及食管癌风险的关系。方法：采用以医院患者为基础的病例－对照研究方法，包括正常对照383人，肺癌患者351例，食管癌患者325例。以聚合酶链反应－限制性片段长度多态性方法分析了XPD基因Asp312 Asn和Lys751Gln多态性，比较不同基因型与肺癌及食管癌风险的关系，并探讨吸烟与基因多态交互作用对患癌风险的影响。结果：与携带312 Asp/Asp基因型者比较，携带至少1个312Asn等位基因者（即Asp/Asn和Asn/Asn基因型）罹患肺鳞癌的风险增加1．8倍（95％CI1．10－2．93），而与肺腺癌无关（校正的比值比为1．07，95％CI0．55－2．08）。分层分析显示，风险型等位基因312Asn和751Gln与吸烟有明显的交互作用。吸烟剂量≥29包／年且携带312Asn或751Gln者罹患肺鳞癌的风险最高，校正的比值比分别为12．44（95％CI4．97－31．17）和10．74（95％CI4．51－25．57）。XPD基因Asp312Asn和Lys751Gln多态与食管鳞癌风险无关。结论：XPD基因Asp312Asn和Lys751Gln多态是地区汉族人群肺鳞癌遗传易感因素，而与肺腺癌以及食管鳞癌风险无关，可能反映了不同组织学类型肺癌以及肺癌和食管癌之间的病因学差异。     

BER修复基因多态性与肺癌易感性的研究进展

碱基切除修复(base excision repair,BER)通路是DNA损伤修复的关键通路,通路中的8-羟基鸟嘌呤DNA糖苷酶基因(human 8-oxoguanine glycosylase,hOGG1),人类X线交叉互补修复基因(X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1,XRCC1),MutY homolog(MUTYH)基因的单核苷酸多态性影响BER通路中重要的酶和蛋白质的功能,导致修复障碍,最终引起癌症发生.DNA损伤修复基因单核苷酸多态性和肺癌易感性的研究结果尚存在争议,本文对近年来BER通路基因hOGG1Ser326Cys,XRCC1 Arg194Trp,XRCC1 Arg280His,XRCC1 Arg399Gln,XRCC1-77T>C和MUTYHHis324Gln多态性与肺癌易感性的关系的研究进行汇总,并探讨了多项研究对BER基因多态性与不同肺癌亚型的关系以及与吸烟之间关系.基因多态性与肺癌易感性关系受多因素影响,其相关性尚待进一步探索.     

BER修复基因多态性与肺癌易感性的研究进展

碱基切除修复(base excision repair,BER)通路是DNA损伤修复的关键通路,通路中的8-羟基鸟嘌呤DNA糖苷酶基因(human 8-oxoguanine glycosylase,hOGG1),人类X线交叉互补修复基因(X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1,XRCC1),MutY homolog(MUTYH)基因的单核苷酸多态性影响BER通路中重要的酶和蛋白质的功能,导致修复障碍,最终引起癌症发生.DNA损伤修复基因单核苷酸多态性和肺癌易感性的研究结果尚存在争议,本文对近年来BER通路基因hOGG1Ser326Cys,XRCC1 Arg194Trp,XRCC1 Arg280His,XRCC1 Arg399Gln,XRCC1-77T>C和MUTYHHis324Gln多态性与肺癌易感性的关系的研究进行汇总,并探讨了多项研究对BER基因多态性与不同肺癌亚型的关系以及与吸烟之间关系.基因多态性与肺癌易感性关系受多因素影响,其相关性尚待进一步探索.     

BER修复基因多态性与肺癌易感性的研究进展

碱基切除修复(base excision repair,BER)通路是DNA损伤修复的关键通路,通路中的8-羟基鸟嘌呤DNA糖苷酶基因(human 8-oxoguanine glycosylase,hOGG1),人类X线交叉互补修复基因(X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1,XRCC1),MutY homolog(MUTYH)基因的单核苷酸多态性影响BER通路中重要的酶和蛋白质的功能,导致修复障碍,最终引起癌症发生.DNA损伤修复基因单核苷酸多态性和肺癌易感性的研究结果尚存在争议,本文对近年来BER通路基因hOGG1Ser326Cys,XRCC1 Arg194Trp,XRCC1 Arg280His,XRCC1 Arg399Gln,XRCC1-77T>C和MUTYHHis324Gln多态性与肺癌易感性的关系的研究进行汇总,并探讨了多项研究对BER基因多态性与不同肺癌亚型的关系以及与吸烟之间关系.基因多态性与肺癌易感性关系受多因素影响,其相关性尚待进一步探索.     

Influence of DNA repair gene polymorphisms on the initial repair of MMS-induced DNA damage in human lymphocytes as measured by the alkaline comet assay

We have applied the alkaline comet assay to study the functional impact of gene polymorphisms in base excision repair (APEX1 Asp148Glu, XRCC1 Arg194Trp, XRCC1 Arg399Gln) and homologous recombination repair (XRCC3 Thr241Met, NBS1 Glu185Gln), two pathways that play crucial roles in the repair of DNA damage induced by methylmethane sulphonate (MMS). We also examined the effect of polymorphisms in mismatch repair (MLH1 -93 A/G) and nucleotide excision repair (XPD Lys751Gln) as putative negative controls based on the limited roles of these pathways in MMS-induced repair. Phytohemagglutinin-stimulated peripheral lymphocytes from 52 healthy individuals were treated with MMS and allowed to repair for 0, 15, 40, or 120 min after a 6-min washing step. DNA damage was measured as a pseudo-percentage score (comparable to % tail DNA) converted from a total visual score calculated from the distribution of cells with different degrees of damage (normal, mild, moderate and severe). The repair was faster at the beginning of the observation period than towards the end, and was not complete after 2 hr. Presence of the APEX1 148Asp, XRCC3 241Met or NBS1 185Gln alleles were significantly associated with a high pseudo-percentage score (above median) at early time points, with the APEX1 effect being most prolonged (up to 40 min after washing, odds ratio 5.6, 95% confidence interval 2.0-15.5). No significant effects were seen with the XRCC1 Arg194Trp, XRCC1 Arg399Gln, MLH1 -93A/G and XPD Lys751Gln polymorphisms. Our results provide evidence for the functional nature of the variant alleles studied in the APEX1, XRCC3, and NBS1 genes.     

Assoication of XRCC1 gene polymorphisms with risk of non-small cell lung cancer

DNA repair genes is a key factor for cancer susceptibility, and we conducted a case-control study to investigate the association of XRCC1 codons 194 (Arg to Trp), 280 (Arg to His) and 399 (Arg to Gln) with risk of NSCLC. 210 NSCLC patients and 210 health control subjects were randomly selected from Huaihe Hospital between January 2012 and June 2014. The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was taken to assess the genotyping of XRCC1 Arg194Trp, Arg280His and Arg399Gln. By multivariate logistic regression analysis, we found individuals carrying with Trp/Trp and Arg/Trp + Trp/Trp genotypes were associated with a significantly increased risk of NSCLC compared with Arg/Arg genotype, and the OR (95% CI) were 3.15 (1.32-8.09) and 1.52 (1.02-2.28), respectively. The potential association of Arg/Trp+ Trp/Trp genotype of XRCC1 Arg194Trp with the risk of NSCLC is more evidence in smokers, and the OR (95% CI) was 1.78 (1.01-3.24). In conclusion, we found that XRCC1 Arg194Trp polymorphism may be associated with NSCLC risk, especially in smokers.     

Links between DNA-repair gene polymorphisms and chromosomal aberrations in lung-cancer patients

This work presents the results of research into the links between DNA-repair gene polymorphisms and chromosomal aberrations in lung-cancer patients. Significant positive links have been found between lung cancer and the hOGG1 G/G and XPD G/G genotypes. A significant negative association has been found between the hOGG1 C/C genotypes and lung cancer. It has been shown that metaphases with chromosomal aberrations were significantly more frequent in lung-cancer patients than in the control group. Levels of chromosomal aberrations in the carriers of all APE1 and XPD genotypes, XRCC1 G/G genotype, ADPRT T/T genotype, and hOGG1 C/C genotypes reliably differed between the study and control groups. Statistically significant differences have been found between the lung-cancer patients carrying the XPD T/T genotype and those with G/G genotype of this gene.     

Interaction between Polymorphisms of DNA Repair Genes Significantly Modulated Bladder Cancer Risk

DNA repair is a primary defense mechanism against damage caused by exogenous and endogenous sources. We examined the associations between bladder cancer and 7 polymorphisms from 5 genes involved in the maintenance of genetic stability (MMR: MLH1-93G>A; BER: XRCC1--77T>C and Arg399Gln; NER:XPC Lys939Gln and PAT +/-; DSBR:ATM G5557A and XRCC7 G6721T) in 302 incident bladder cancer cases and 311 hospital controls. Genotyping was done using a polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique. The homozygous variant of XRCC7 G6721T (Odds Ratio [OR]: 2.36; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.13-4.92) was associated with increased bladder cancer risk. In an analysis of combined genotypes, the combination of XRCC1Arg399Gln (Gln allele) with XRCC1-77 T/T led to an increase in risk (OR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.10-2.36). Moreover, when the XPCLys939Gln (Gln allele) (nucleotide excision repair [NER]) was present together with XRCC7 (T allele) (double strand break repair [DSBR]), the bladder cancer risk dramatically increased (OR: 4.42; 95% CI: 1.23-15.87). Our results suggest that there are multigenic variations in the DNA repair pathway involved in bladder cancer susceptibility, despite the existence of ethnic group differences.     

XRCC1 codon 399 and ERCC2 codon 751 polymorphism, smoking, and drinking and risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a North Indian population

XRCC1 (X-ray cross-complementing group 1) codon 399 and ERCC2 (excision repair cross-complementing group 2) codon 751 polymorphisms were studied in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESQCC) in a North Indian population. Peripheral blood samples of 120 cases and 160 age-and-gender matching controls were collected from North India and the two polymorphisms were studied by means of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques. The data were analyzed with a logistic regression model. The XRCC1 codon 399 Gln/Gln genotype was significantly associated with reduced risk of ESQCC (OR = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.12-0.78, P = 0.01). In smokers, the XRCC1 Arg/Gln genotype was marginally and statistically nonsignificantly (OR = 1.5) associated with increased risk of this cancer. In drinkers, the XRCC1 Gln/Gln genotype was significantly protective (OR = 0.06, 95% CI = 0.007-0.605, P = 0.03), whereas ERCC2 (Lys/Gln-Gln/Gln) was marginally associated with increased risk (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 0.46-9.44). Upon analysis of gene-gene interaction, a relationship was observed, although statistically nonsignificant, between combined genotypes of XRCC1 (Arg/Gln-Gln/Gln)-ERCC2 Gln/Gln (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.09-1.16) and XRCC1 (Gln/Gln)-ERCC2 (Lys/Gln) (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.11-1.17) and reduced risk of ESQCC in the North Indian population. These observations suggest that the Gln/Gln genotype of XRCC1 might play an important role in DNA repair in ESQCC.     

Markers of individual susceptibility and DNA repair rate in workers exposed to xenobiotics in a tire plant

Workers employed in tire plants are exposed to a variety of xenobiotics, such as 1,3-butadiene (BD), soots containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and other organic chemicals (e.g., styrene). In the present study, we investigated markers of genotoxicity [chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and single-strand breaks (SSBs)] in a cohort of 110 tire plant workers engaged in jobs with different levels of xenobiotic exposure in relation to various polymorphisms in genes coding for biotransformation enzymes (CYP1A1, CYP2E1, EPHX1, GSTM1, GSTP1, and GSTT1) and in genes involved in DNA repair (XPD exon 23, XPG exon 15, XPC exon 15, XRCC1 exon 10, and XRCC3 exon 7). In addition, the expression of CYP2E1, a gene playing a key role in BD metabolism, was determined by real-time PCR in peripheral blood lymphocytes, and the capacity of lymphocytes to repair gamma-ray-induced SSBs and to convert 8-oxoguanine in HeLa cell DNA into SSBs was assessed using in vitro assays. No positive associations were detected between the CA frequency or SSB induction and levels of workplace exposure; however, a nonsignificant twofold higher irradiation-specific DNA repair rate was found among highly exposed workers. In evaluations conducted with the markers of individual susceptibility, workers with low-EPHX1-activity genotypes exhibited a significantly higher CA frequency as compared to those with medium and high-EPHX1-activity genotypes (P = 0.050). CA frequencies were significantly lower in individuals homozygous for the XPD exon 23 variant allele in comparison to those with the wild-type CC genotype (P = 0.003). Interestingly, CAs were higher in individuals with higher CYP2E1 expression levels, but the association was nonsignificant (P = 0.097). The results from this study suggest the importance of evaluating markers of individual susceptibility, since they may modulate genotoxic effects induced by occupational exposure to xenobiotics.     

Gene polymorphism in DNA repair genes XRCC1 and XRCC6 and association with colorectal cancer in Swedish patients

The DNA repair genes XRCC1 and XRCC6 have been proposed to participate in the pathological process of cancer by modulating the DNA repair capacity. This study evaluated the susceptibility of the single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) XRCC1 (rs25487, G > A) and XRCC6 (rs2267437, C > G) to colorectal cancer (CRC) and their association with clinical parameters in Swedish patients with CRC. Using the TaqMan system, these SNPs were screened in 452 patients and 464 controls. No significant difference in genotype distribution was found between the patients and controls, or any significant association with cancer‐specific or disease‐free survival in patients. However, we showed that the carriers of allele A in XRCC1 (rs25487, G > A) were connected with a higher risk of disseminated CRC (Odds Ratio = 1.64; 95% Confidence Interval = 1.12–2.41, p = 0.012).