NRAS and KRAS polymorphisms are not associated with hepatoblastoma susceptibility in Chinese children

Abstract

Background Hepatoblastoma is the most common hepatic malignancy in children, accounting for approximately 80% of all childhood liver tumors. KRAS and NRAS , members of the RAS gene family, are closely linked to tumorigenesis, and are frequently mutated in a variety of malignancies. They may thus play critical roles in tumorigenesis. However, there are few studies on the association between the RAS gene polymorphisms and risk of hepatoblastoma. Methods We investigated whether the polymorphisms at these genes are associated with hepatoblastoma susceptibility in a hospital-based study of 213 affected Chinese children and 958 cancer-free controls. Genotypes were determined by TaqMan assay, and association with hepatoblastoma risk was assessed based on odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results No significant differences were observed between patients and controls in terms of age and gender frequency. All NRAS and KRAS genotypes are in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium in the entire study population. We did not observe any significant association between hepatoblastoma risk and polymorphisms at NRAS and KRAS . The association between selected polymorphisms and hepatoblastoma risk was assessed after stratification by age, gender, and clinical stage. However, no significant association was observed even after stratification by age, gender, and clinical stage. Conclusions The data suggest that NRAS and KRAS polymorphisms are irrelevant to hepatoblastoma susceptibility among Chinese population. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40164-019-0135-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Association between lncRNA‐H19 polymorphisms and hepatoblastoma risk in an ethic Chinese population

“…Total genomic DNA was isolated from the peripheral blood leucocytes of each patient using a TIANamp Blood DNA Kit (TianGen Biotech Co., Ltd.). H19 gene SNPs were genotyped by TaqMan real‐time PCR, 26‐28 with eight blank wells in each 384‐well plate containing water as negative controls. We also randomly repeated the genotyping of 10% of the samples, achieving a 100% concordance rate.…”

“…We enrolled 213 patients with hepatoblastoma and 958 cancer-free controls in this study. [26][27][28] The initial diagnosis of hepatoblastoma was made based upon ultrasound detected liver mass and elevated AFP value. Then, tumour tissue was obtained by image-guided liver biopsy.…”

<p><em>KRAS</em> rs7973450 A>G increases neuroblastoma risk in Chinese children: a four-center case-control study</p>

“…We screened potential function polymorphic sites in the KRAS gene by NCBI dbSNP database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/SNP) and SNPinfo (http://snpinfo.niehs.nih.gov/snpfunc.htm). 36,37 KRAS rs12587 and rs7973450 were predicted to be located in the microRNA binding sites, while rs7312175 in a potential transcription factor binding site. As shown in Figure S1 , there exists weak linkage disequilibrium (R 2 <0.8) among rs12587, rs7973450 and rs7312175.…”

ALKBH5 Gene Polymorphisms and Hepatoblastoma Susceptibility in Chinese Children

“…To solve this dilemma, our group has been working along with other centers to recruit as many hepatoblastoma cases as possible to shed light on the genetic etiology of hepatoblastoma. We have found that SNPs in LINC00673, NRAS, KRAS, and TP53 genes may modify the risk of hepatoblastoma in the Chinese population [21][22][23]. e rarity of the disease has impaired the adequate investigation of their etiology.…”

“…To discover more variants predicting the risk of hepatoblastoma, here we conducted a multicenter case-control study among children of Chinese ancestry. [22,23]. is is a collaborative study with hepatoblastoma cases and controls enrolled from eight hospitals in China.…”