Genetic susceptibility to nasopharyngeal carcinoma within the HLA‐A locus in Taiwanese

Abstract

NPC is an epithelial tumor that is highly prevalent among the southern Chinese. Numerous studies have indicated that specific HLA haplotypes and genes within the HLA complex are associated with NPC. As a first effort to localize the gene responsible for susceptibility, the HLA-A, -B, and -A2 subtypes were examined for their association to NPC. Consistent with previous reports, frequencies of HLA-A2 [OR ‫؍‬ 2.50, pc ‫؍‬ 0.020 (study population); OR ‫؍‬ 3.73, pc ‫؍‬ 0.0030 (>40 years old)] were significantly higher in patients with NPC than in healthy controls. Two-locus analysis indicated that A2 ؉ B46؉ individuals are at greater risk for NPC than A2 -B46 -individuals in both the population studied and the >40-year-old group. This, however, may be due to the close linkage of these 2 genes. Moreover, A2 ؉ B38؉ individuals were at higher risk than A2 -B38 -individuals in both the population studied and the >40-year-old group; A2 and B38 are not genetically linked. These findings suggest that B38 or B46 alone cannot confer a high risk of NPC but that, in conjunction with A2, B38 or B46 positivity greatly increases risk. None of 5 A2 subtypes identified from studied populations was significantly associated with NPC. Microsatellite marker D6S211, located 97 kb telomeric to HLA-A, was analyzed for its association with NPC. Allele 4 of D6S211 was significantly associated with NPC (OR ‫؍‬ 3.97, pc ‫؍‬ 0.0042). These results strongly support the hypothesis that genes associated with susceptibility to NPC in the HLA region are within the HLA-A locus.

Epstein‐Barr virus latent membrane protein 1 induces the matrix metalloproteinase‐1 promoter via an Ets binding site formed by a single nucleotide polymorphism: Enhanced susceptibility to nasopharyngeal carcinoma

“…47,48 In Japan, the incidence is reported to be 0.5-1 per 100,000, similar to the incidence in North China and North America, which are both nonendemic, low-incidence areas. [49][50][51] We detected no difference in the distribution of SNPs in Taiwanese and Japanese NPC cases.…”

Complex segregation analysis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Guangdong, China: evidence for a multifactorial mode of inheritance (complex segregation analysis of NPC in China)

“…28,29 Hildesheim et al 30 reported an association of HLA class I and II alleles (HLA-A*0207 and HLA-B*4601) and extended haplotypes with NPC in a well-designed case -control study conducted in Taiwan. Further, a metaanalysis of 13 HLA association studies in southern China performed by Goldsmith et al 31 reported evidence for positive associations between NPC and the HLA alleles A2, B14 and B46 and negative associations for the alleles A11, B13 and B22.…”

Adulthood consumption of preserved and nonpreserved vegetables and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A systematic review

“…1 Risk factors for NPC include Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) infection [3][4][5][6] and specific HLA antigen haplotypes. 7 In addition, certain dietary factors may partially explain the variation in NPC rates across geographic regions. The consumption of Cantonese-style salted fish has consistently been found to be associated with an increased risk of NPC.…”