Identification and association study with lung cancer for novel insertion polymorphisms of human endogenous retrovirus

Carcinogenesis. 2013 Nov;34(11):2531-8. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgt253. Epub 2013 Jul 19.

Abstract

Sequences of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are members of the long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposon family. Although the expression of HERV has long been a topic of investigation, HERV-insertion polymorphisms are not well known, and a genetic association between HERV-insertion polymorphisms and cancer has never been reported. To identify novel HERV loci in the genome from cancer tissues, we carried out the inverse PCR method targeting a conserved LTR region of HML-2, which is the most recently acquired HERV group. Novel two insertions, HML-2_sLTR(1p13.2) and HML-2_sLTR(19q12), were identified as insertionally polymorphic solo LTRs. Furthermore, a significant prevalence of HML-2_sLTR(1p13.2) homozygosity was detected in female never-smoking patients aged 60 years and over who had lung adenocarcinoma [versus the other genotyping; odds ratio (OR): 1.97; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-3.81]. In another cohort consisting of female never-smoking patients with lung adenocarcinoma, a prevalence of HML-2_sLTR(1p13.2) homozygosity tended to be high in patients aged 60 years and over (versus the other genotyping; OR: 2.03; 95% CI: 0.96-4.29), whereas a low prevalence of HML-2_sLTR(1p13.2) homozygosity was detected in patients <60 years old (versus the other genotyping; OR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.11-0.94). Our results suggest that HML-2_sLTR(1p13.2) is involved with the susceptibility to lung adenocarcinoma in female never-smokers in an age-dependent manner and that other HERV polymorphisms related to human diseases might remain to be identified in the human genome.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cohort Studies
  • DNA Primers
  • Disease Susceptibility
  • Endogenous Retroviruses / genetics*
  • Female
  • Genome, Human / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Lung Neoplasms / virology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mutagenesis, Insertional / genetics*
  • Polymorphism, Genetic / genetics*
  • Prognosis
  • Terminal Repeat Sequences / genetics*
  • Viral Envelope Proteins / genetics*

Substances

  • DNA Primers
  • ERVK-6 protein, human endogenous retrovirus
  • Viral Envelope Proteins