Abstract. Cell cycle deregulation is common in human cancer. Alterations of the tumor-suppressor gene p53 and its downstream effector p21 have been indicated in the development of numerous human malignancies. Therefore, we hypothesize that the p53 codon 72 polymorphism, either on its own or in combination with p21 (C98A and C70T) polymorphisms, modifies the risk of prostate cancer within the Slovak population, and no previous studies have investigated these gene-gene interactions in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer in the Slovak population. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to determine the p53 and p21 genotypes in subjects comprising 300 prostate cancer patients and 446 healthy individuals. These 3 polymorphisms individually did not correlate with the prostate cancer risk. Conversely, the interaction between the p53 and p21 polymorphisms significantly decreased the risk of prostate cancer, with the odds ratio (OR) being 0.49 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.27-0.86; P<0.05] for subjects carrying the p53 codon 72 arginine (Arg)/proline (Pro)+Pro/Pro and p21 C98A CA genotypes compared to the combined reference genotypes p53 codon 72 Arg/Arg and p21 C98A CC. Neither the p53 genotypes nor the p21 genotypes showed statistically significant differences in Gleason score or serum prostate-specific antigen levels (P>0.05). A decreased risk of prostate cancer association with the p21 C98A CA genotype (OR=0.58; 95% CI, 0.36-0.93; P<0.05) in non-smokers compared to the non-smokers with the p21 C98A CC genotype was observed. Smokers carrying the p53 codon 72 Pro/Pro genotype were not at any significant risk of prostate cancer (OR=2.97; 95% CI, 0.51-17.15) compared to the non-smokers with the Arg/Arg genotype. Taken together, to the best of our knowledge this is the first study to show that a combination of the variant genotypes of p53 codon 72 and p21 C98A may modify the prostate cancer risk within the Slovak population.

The cell cycle regulator p21 plays an important role in regulating critical cell activities including cell cycle control, DNA repair and apoptosis. Consequently, it may affect the efficacy of the response to DNA damage and tumor development. The aim of our study was to evaluate the frequencies of the p21 C70T polymorphism, the association between this genetic variant and smoking status, and the serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and Gleason score in 118 prostate cancer patients and 130 males routinely screened for prostate cancer in the Slovak population. Blood samples were collected from all individuals for DNA isolation, used for subsequent genotyping assays via PCR-RFLP methods. Overall, we did not observe any significant association between this polymorphism and prostate cancer risk. An analysis of the association between the p21 genotypes and smoking was then conducted. Among smokers, CC and CT genotypes were associated with a non‑significant increased risk (OR=1.48; 95% CI, 0.80-2.76 and OR=1.15; 95% CI, 0.27‑4.77, respectively; p>0.05) in comparison to non-smokers with the CC genotype. Patients with a CT genotype and serum PSA levels≥10 ng/ml had an 84% decrease in prostate cancer risk (OR=0.16; 95% CI, 0.03-0.75; p<0.05) compared to cases with serum PSA levels <10 ng/ml and the CC genotype. No significant association was detected between Gleason score and prostate cancer risk. Based on these results, we concluded that the p21 C70T polymorphism is associated with decreased risk of prostate cancer in Slovak men. To confirm these findings, a systematic approach is required to identify sequence variants in this and other related genes, and subsequently, to test for an association between such variants, smoking status and tumor-specific clinicopathological characteristics in large samples.

N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) is an enzyme involved in the biotransformation of xenobiotics, mainly aromatic and heterocyclic amines and hydrazines, all of which represent an important class of carcinogens found in tobacco smoke. Polymorphism in NAT2 gene is reported to be associated with susceptibility to various types of cancer. This study investigated the relationship between the NAT2 polymorphism and the risk of prostate cancer with reference to the link between cigarette smoking and the xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme NAT2. Overall, 281 cases and 395 controls from Slovakia were studied using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. We found no statistically significant association between NAT2 genotypes and prostate cancer risk (slow acetylation vs. rapid acetylation: OR 1.13; 95 % CI 0.83-1.55). We report here a statistically significant correlation between the NAT2*5C/NAT2*6A slow acetylator genotype and the risk for developing prostate cancer (OR 2.91; 95 % CI 1.43-5.94; p = 0.003) when compared with the rapid phenotype. Smokers with NAT2 rapid phenotype had a five percent (5 %) reduced risk of prostate cancer compared with non-smokers carrying the rapid acetylator genotype. The association was reversed among smokers and non-smokers with NAT2 slow phenotype. On the basis of the foregoing, we conclude that the NAT2 phenotypes whether alone or in association with smoking do not correlate with susceptibility to prostate cancer within the Slovak population.

Abstract. Androgens are actively involved in the development of the prostate gland and appear to be essential for prostate carcinogenesis. The product of the SRD5A2 gene, membrane-bound steroid 5-α-reductase, type II enzyme, is key in testosterone metabolism. The present study explored the association between the SRD5A2 V89L gene polymorphism and the risk of developing prostate cancer. The study cohort consisted of 456 male Slovak patients, including 260 cases with histologically confirmed prostate cancer and 196 age-matched controls without any clinically suspected infections of the prostate. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to detect the SRD5A2 polymorphism on codon 89. Odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for different allele variants were calculated in order to determine the association between the SRD5A2 V89L gene polymorphism and prostate cancer. The distribution of V89L variants in the control group was consistent with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (χ 2 test, P=0.266) with a significant deviation in the case group (χ 2 test, P=0.04). However, no association between the SRD5A2 polymorphism and an increased risk of developing prostate cancer was identified. When the wild type VV variant was used as a reference, the ORs for different allele variants ranged from 1.11 (95% CI 0.66-1.87, P=0.70) for the LL genotype to 0.99 (95% CI 0.68-1.46, P=0.99) for the LL + VL genotypes. No particular allele variant was identified to exhibit an increased capacity to promote the development of highly aggressive prostate cancer (Gleason ≥7) or induce carcinogenesis at an earlier onset (<65 years of age). It was confirmed that in the population studied, the SRD5A2 V89L polymorphism was not associated with the risk of prostate cancer and SRD5A2 was not shown to be a key gene involved in prostate cancer development. Published data indicate that a combination of multiple genetic changes are required for prostate cancer development, rather than a single gene change. Therefore, it was hypothesized that high-throughput genotyping may be more effective than single nucleotide polymorphism detection.

Background/Aim: Our aim was to investigate possible influences of genetic variants in genes involved in the G 1 /S transition , cyclin E1 (CCNE1) and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B (p27 KIP1 )] on the expression/activity of their corresponding proteins and to assess the functional impact of these variants on the risk of prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: We genotyped 530 cases and 562 healthy controls for two relevant single nucleotide polymorphisms (CDK2 rs2069408 and CCNE1 rs997669) by TaqMan genotyping assay. p27 KIP1 rs2066827 polymorphisms were studied by polymerase chain reactionrestriction fragment length polymorphism assay. In addition, the expression of CDK2, CCNE1 and p27 KIP1 was evaluated by quantitative real-time-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting in 44 prostate cancer tissues and 31 benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues. Results: No association was found between CDK2 rs2069408, CCNE1 rs997669 or p27 KIP1 rs2066827 polymorphisms and an increased risk of prostate cancer development. Higher CDK2 expression was more prevalent in those with rs2069408 GG genotype than in AA carriers (p>0.05). We also noted reduced p27 KIP1 protein expression in those with the p27 KIP1 G109 allele. No difference was observed for CCNE1 expression in relation to the risky genotype (CC). A significant association was detected between CCNE1 mRNA overexpression and development of higher-grade carcinomas (Gleason score >7, p<0.05). Conclusion: Polymorphisms CDK2 rs2069408, CCNE1 rs997669 and p27 KIP1 rs2066827 have no significant impact on prostate cancer risk nor on the gene and protein expression of CDK2, CCNE1 and p27 KIP1 , although high CCNE1 expression was significantly associated with a higher tumour grade in patients with prostate cancer.

The role of the cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) rs2472299, rs2470890 and rs11072508 polymorphisms in prostate cancer risk, disease progression and tumour development remains unclear. The potential associations of these three CYP1A2 polymorphisms and haplotypes with prostate cancer susceptibility and its clinicopathological characteristics were therefore investigated. The present case-control study consisted of 522 patients with prostate cancer and 554 healthy controls. High-resolution melting analysis was used to determine the CYP1A2 polymorphisms. No significant association in prostate cancer risk was seen for CYP1A2 rs2472299 and rs11072508. However, a significantly decreased risk of prostate cancer was found for CYP1A2 rs2470890 [odds ratio (OR), 0.67; P=0.02] in the recessive model. After analysis of the associations of clinical status and these three CYP1A2 polymorphisms, the CYP1A2 rs2470890 and rs11072508 polymorphisms showed a positive association with a higher Gleason score (rs2470890 OR, 1.36, P=0.04 in the allelic model; rs11072508 OR, 1.37, P=0.04 in the allelic model and OR, 1.60, P=0.03 in the dominant model). All three polymorphisms showed a significant positive association with pathological T stage in the additive, allelic and dominant genetic models (P<0.05). Haplotype analysis revealed that the most common haplotypes 'GTT' and 'ACC' were significantly associated with pathological T stages 3 and 4 (OR, 0.62; P=0.02 and OR, 1.54; P=0.03, respectively). A significant association was found between the 'GTT' haplotype and the Gleason score (OR, 0.71; P=0.03). In conclusion, these CYP1A2 polymorphisms and haplotypes have the potential to predict prostate cancer disease progression.

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