Exploring the link between germline and somatic genetic alterations in breast carcinogenesis

PLoS One. 2010 Nov 22;5(11):e14078. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0014078.

Abstract

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified candidate genes contributing to cancer risk through low-penetrance mutations. Many of these genes were unexpected and, intriguingly, included well-known players in carcinogenesis at the somatic level. To assess the hypothesis of a germline-somatic link in carcinogenesis, we evaluated the distribution of somatic gene labels within the ordered results of a breast cancer risk GWAS. This analysis suggested frequent influence on risk of genetic variation in loci encoding for "driver kinases" (i.e., kinases encoded by genes that showed higher somatic mutation rates than expected by chance and, therefore, whose deregulation may contribute to cancer development and/or progression). Assessment of these predictions using a population-based case-control study in Poland replicated the association for rs3732568 in EPHB1 (odds ratio (OR) = 0.79; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.63-0.98; P(trend) = 0.031). Analyses by early age at diagnosis and by estrogen receptor α (ERα) tumor status indicated potential associations for rs6852678 in CDKL2 (OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.10-1.00; P(recessive) = 0.044) and rs10878640 in DYRK2 (OR = 2.39, 95% CI: 1.32-4.30; P(dominant) = 0.003), and for rs12765929, rs9836340, rs4707795 in BMPR1A, EPHA3 and EPHA7, respectively (ERα tumor status P(interaction)<0.05). The identification of three novel candidates as EPH receptor genes might indicate a link between perturbed compartmentalization of early neoplastic lesions and breast cancer risk and progression. Together, these data may lay the foundations for replication in additional populations and could potentially increase our knowledge of the underlying molecular mechanisms of breast carcinogenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptors, Type I / genetics
  • Breast / metabolism
  • Breast / pathology
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / genetics
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinases
  • Disease Progression
  • Dyrk Kinases
  • Estrogen Receptor alpha / genetics
  • Female
  • Gene Frequency
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease / genetics*
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
  • Genotype
  • Germ-Line Mutation*
  • Humans
  • Odds Ratio
  • Poland
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / genetics
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / genetics
  • Receptor, EphA3
  • Receptor, EphA7 / genetics
  • Receptor, EphB1 / genetics
  • Risk Factors

Substances

  • Estrogen Receptor alpha
  • EPHA3 protein, human
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Receptor, EphA3
  • Receptor, EphA7
  • Receptor, EphB1
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases
  • CDKL2 protein, human
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinases
  • BMPR1A protein, human
  • Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptors, Type I