Polymorphism of CD14 gene but not the mutation of TLR4 gene is associated with colorectal cancer in Chinese patients

Objectives: Toll‐like receptor 4 and CD14 are components of the lipopolysaccharide receptor complex. Our study aimed to investigate an association between TLR4 Asp299Gly and CD14‐260 polymorphisms in Chinese patients with colorectal cancer. Method: By a method of polymerase chain reaction–based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP), we genotyped TLR4 Asp299Gly and CD14‐260 polymorphisms in 110 unrelated patients with colorectal cancer and 160 healthy controls from the Chinese Han population. Results: We found significant differences in CD14 genotypes between healthy controls and patients with colorectal cancer. The frequency of the C/C genotype in healthy controls (15.6%) was significantly lower than in the group of colorectal cancer patients (32%). The frequency of the C/T genotype in healthy controls (48.1%) was significantly higher than that in the group of colorectal cancer patients (31%). No TLR4 Asp299Gly mutation was detected in any patients or healthy controls in the Chinese Han population. Conclusions: These findings indicated that the polymorphism of CD14 but not TLR4 Asp299Gly mutation was associated with Chinese patients with colorectal cancer, and the CD14 gene may contribute to the predisposition to colorectal cancer. Screening for the CD14 C‐260T genotype is likely to be a useful tool for risk assessment or prognostication for colorectal cancer in the Chinese Han population.