Five novel prostate cancer risk loci were identified in a recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) of Japanese persons (Takata et al., Nat Genet. 2010;42(9):751-754).
Those authors proposed that apart from population-specific linkage disequilibrium patterns, limitations of GWAS single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) prioritization and/or study design could explain the lack of identification of these loci in GWAS previously conducted among Caucasians. Thus, the authors undertook a replication study in 1,357 prostate cancer patients and 1,403 healthy Australian males of European descent (2004-2008). The rs12653946 SNP at 5p15 was found to be significantly associated with prostate cancer risk (odds ratio = 1.20, 95% confidence interval: 1.07, 1.34; P = 0.002). On the basis of linkage disequilibrium calculations, the rs12653946 SNP represents an independent locus, distinct from the previously identified TERT-CLPTM1L cancer nexus region. Further, analysis from AceView (Thierry-Mieg and Thierry-Mieg, Genome Biol. 2006;7(suppl 1):S12) indicated that rs12653946 falls within the intron of a testis-expressed gene strongly predicted to translate a conceptual 8.1-kilodalton protein named tojy.aApr07. The authors' findings suggest that follow-up of apparently ethnicity-specific risk associations are warranted in order to highlight risk-associated loci for experimental studies and for incorporation into future risk prediction models for prostate cancer.
Written by:
Batra J, Lose F, Chambers S, Gardiner RA, Aitken J, Yaxley J, Clements JA, Spurdle AB. Are you the author?
Reference: Am J Epidemiol. 2011 Nov 15. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1093/aje/kwr271
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22085625
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