Journal of the Chinese Medical Association
Volume 69, Issue 8 , Pages 351-357, August 2006

Evaluation of the Associations Between the Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of the Promoter Region of the Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Gene and Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

  • Sheng-Yow Ho

      Affiliations

    • Department of Radiation Oncology, Sin-Lau Christian Hospital, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C
    • Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C
    • ,
  • Ying-Jan Wang

      Affiliations

    • Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C
    • ,
  • Po-Chang Huang

      Affiliations

    • Department of Radiation Oncology, Sin-Lau Christian Hospital, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C
    • ,
  • Sen-Tien Tsai

      Affiliations

    • Department of Otolaryngology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C
    • ,
  • Chih-Hung Chen

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C
    • Department of Neurology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C
    • ,
  • Helen H.W. Chen

      Affiliations

    • Department of Radiation Oncology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C
    • ,
  • Chih-Jen Chang

      Affiliations

    • Department of Family Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C
    • ,
  • How-Ran Guo

      Affiliations

    • Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C
    • Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to: Dr How-Ran Guo, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, 138, Sheng-Li Road, Tainan 704, Taiwan, R.O.C.

Received 28 November 2005; accepted 19 May 2006.

Article Outline

Background

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine and may act as an endogenous tumor promoter. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the TNF-α gene promoter region have been found to be associated with certain cancers. We conducted a case-control study to evaluate the association between these SNPs and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods

We used polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis to determine the −308 TNF-α promoter genotypes of 89 NPC patients and 360 healthy controls. In 23 NPC patients and 50 controls, we determined the sequence from −1065 to −101 nucleotides of the TNF-α gene promoter region to detect SNPs.

Results

In comparison with the controls, the NPC patients had higher proportions of men and carriage of IgA antibodies against the capsid antigen of Epstein-Barr virus, but had a similar carrier rate of the −308A allele (odds ratio [OR], 1.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.7-2.0). The carriage of the -308A allele was not associated with the occurrence of NPC in comparison with -308G homozygosity. We also found no significant differences in the distributions of allelic variants of the −1031, −863, −857, and −806 loci of the TNF-α promoter region, but observed a lower carrier rate of the novel −806T allele in the NPC patients (OR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.0-2.9).

Conclusion

Allelic variants of the TNF-α promoter gene may not be used as biomarkers of susceptibility to NPC. The role of the -806T allele needs to be studied further.

Key Words:  allele , nasopharyngeal neoplasm , single nucleotide polymorphism , tumor necrosis factor-α

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PII: S1726-4901(09)70272-2

doi:10.1016/S1726-4901(09)70272-2

Journal of the Chinese Medical Association
Volume 69, Issue 8 , Pages 351-357, August 2006

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