ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: It has been hypothesized that inherited cytokine gene polymorphisms could influence susceptibility to cervical cancer. This study evaluated the association between tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-308, transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-ß1), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)+874 and interleukin-10 (IL-10)-1082 gene polymorphisms and cervical cancer risk. STUDY DESIGN: The study population included 186 histopathologically confirmed cases of cervical cancer and 200 healthy controls. TNF-α, TGF-ß, IL-10 and IFN-γ gene polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers. RESULTS: The IFN-γ+874A/A genotype was associated with high risk for the development of cervical cancer [odds ratio (OR) 2.22, p=0.012], and the A allele was associated with a 1.47-fold increased risk of cervical cancer (p=0.009). In contrast, no significant difference was found in the frequencies of TNF-α-308G/A, TGF-ß1 codons 10 and 25 C/C-G/G and IL-10-1082G/A gene polymorphisms between patients with cervical cancer and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Homozygous IFN-γ+874A/T polymorphisms may be associated with increased risk for the development of cervical cancer.
Subject(s)
Interferon-gamma/genetics , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/genetics , Adult , Aged , Asian People , Cytokines/genetics , Female , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Humans , Interleukin-10/genetics , Middle Aged , Polymorphism, Genetic , Risk Factors , Transforming Growth Factor beta/genetics , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/geneticsABSTRACT
Though accumulated evidence has demonstrated the transformation capacity of human papillomavirus (HPV) type 18 protein E7, the underlying mechanism is still arguable. Developing a protein transduction domain (PTD)-linked E7 molecule is a suitable strategy for assessing the biological functions of the protein. In the present study, HPV18 E7 protein fused to an N-terminal PTD was expressed in the form of glutathione S-transferase fusion protein in Escherichia coli with pGEX-4T- 3 vector. After glutathione-Sepharose 4B bead affinity purification, immunoblot identification and thrombin cleavage, the PTD-18E7 protein showed structural and functional activity in that it potently transduced the cells and localized into their nuclei. The PTD-18E7 protein transduced the NIH3T3 cells in 30 min and remained stable for at least 24 h. In addition, the PTD-18E7 protein interacted with retinoblastoma protein (pRB) and caused pRB degradation in the transduced NIH3T3 cells. In contrast to the pRB level, p27 protein level was elevated in the transduced NIH3T3 cells. The PTD-18E7 protein gives us a new tool to study the biological functions of the HPV E7 protein.