BRCA1 and BRCA2 point mutations and large rearrangements in breast and ovarian cancer families in Northern Poland.

Sixty-four Polish families with a history of breast and/or ovarian cancer were screened for mutations in the BRCA1/2 genes using a combination of denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) and sequencing. Two thirds (43/64; 67%) of the families were found to carry deleterious mutations, of which the most frequent were BRCA1 5382insC (n=22/43; 51%) and Cys61Gly (n=9/43; 20%). Two other recurrent mutations were BRCA1 185delAG (n=3) and 3819del5 (n=4), together accounting for 16% of the 43 mutation-positive cases. We also found three novel mutations (BRCA1 2991del5, BRCA2 6238ins2del21 and 8876delC) which combined with findings from our earlier study of 60 Northern Polish families. Moreover, screening of 43 BRCA1/2 negative families for the presence of large rearrangements by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) resulted in the finding of two additional BRCA1 mutations: a deletion of exons 1A, 1B and 2, and a deletion of exons 17-19, both present in single families. We conclude that the Polish population has a diverse mutation spectrum influenced by strong founder effects. However, families with strong breast/ovarian cancer history who are negative for these common mutations should be offered a complete BRCA gene screening, including MLPA analysis.

High frequency of BRCA1/2 germline mutations in consecutive ovarian cancer patients in Poland.

BACKGROUND: We estimated the prevalence of BRCA1/2 germline mutations in consecutive ovarian cancers and correlated the mutation status with clinicopathological features. METHODS: 151 consecutive primary ovarian cancer patients were screened for BRCA1/2 germline mutations. RESULTS: We identified BRCA1/2 germline mutations in 21 (13.9%) patients. Seventeen (81%) of carriers have BRCA1 and four (19%) have BRCA2 mutation. BRCA1/2 carriers have a distinctly longer overall survival than sporadic cases (log-rank, p=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: The relatively high proportion of BRCA1/2 carriers among unselected ovarian cancer patients indicates the necessity of searching for recurrent BRCA mutations in each case of ovarian carcinoma. This routine screen should be widened to include denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) analysis of both exons 11 of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in women with positive family history.

beta-2-adrenergic receptor gene polymorphism confers susceptibility to Graves disease.

Graves disease (GD) is an autoimmune disorder with genetic predisposition. The polymorphisms 47A-->G (Arg16Gly) and 79C-->G (Gln27Glu) of the adrenergic beta-2 receptor (ADRB2) gene in the 5q32 region affect the functional reaction to adrenergic stimulation, which contributes to the regulation of immunological response. The -367T-->C polymorphism within the 5'-leading regulatory sequence affects ADRB2 transcriptional activity. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether ADRB2 gene variants are associated with susceptibility to GD. All polymorphisms were studied in Polish GD patients (n=300) and healthy control subjects without a family history of autoimmune disorders (n=301). Genotypes were determined by the MassARRAY system (Sequenom, San Diego, CA). Gly16 and Gln27 allele frequencies were 61.4% and 55.2% among healthy controls, almost the same as previously reported in 4441 white participants of a cardiovascular health study. We found a higher risk of GD in Gln27 carriers (CC or CG genotypes) than in Glu27 homozygous (GG genotype) participants (OR=1.99, 95% CI: 1.27-3.12, p=0.003, pcorr=0.03). The frequency of the 79GG protective genotype was significantly smaller in the GD patients without symptoms of Graves ophthalmopathy compared to controls (10% vs 22%, OR=0.41, 95% CI: 0.234-0.706, p=0.0017, pcorr=0.015). We didn't find any association of -367T--> or 47A-->G genotypes/alleles with Graves disease, however, haplotype analysis has shown a significant difference in haplotype distribution between patients and controls (the global p=0.001) with increased -367T/47A/79C haplotype frequency in GD patients compared to controls (34% vs 25%, p=0.00073, pcorr=0.0044). In conclusion, Gln27 carriers (79CC or 79GC genotypes) have increased risk of Graves disease. Our results suggest that ADRB2 plays a role in susceptibility to Graves disease in humans.

A bacterial model for studying effects of human mutations in vivo: Escherichia coli strains mimicking a common polymorphism in the human MTHFR gene.

A simple bacterial model for studying effects of human mutations in vivo, when homologous genes exist in bacterial and human cells, is presented. We have constructed Escherichia coli strains bearing different alleles of the metF gene, an ortologue of human MTHFR gene, coding for 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. These strains bear a null mutation in the chromosomal metF gene and different metF alleles on plasmid(s), and thus there are merozygotes mimicking wild-type homozygotes, heterozygotes and recessive mutant homozygotes. The A177V mutantion in metF corresponds to one of the most common MTHFR polymorphism, A222V, which has been shown to be associated with increased levels of homocysteine in plasma that, in turn, causes many serious medical problems. Results of relatively simple and quick experiments with these strains are compatible with previously published reports on effects of the A222V substitution in the product of MTHFR gene. In addition, these results suggest either impairment of formation of heterodimers and/or heterotetramers by wild-type and A177V metF variants or dominance of the wild-type polypepides in such structures. Moreover, positive effects of folic acid and vitamins B2 and B12 on physiology of the mutant cells, suggested on the basis of clinical studies, is confirmed. Therefore, we conclude that the bacterial model described in this report may be a useful tool in studies on human mutations.