Background & objective: Polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) gene plays a central role in immune response, and is closely related to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Therefore, it is an ideal candidate gene for research on genetic susceptibility of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study was designed to explore correlation of pIgR gene polymorphisms to genetic susceptibility of NPC.
Methods: Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the exon regions of pIgR were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR); pIgR was genotyped in 528 NPC patients and 408 healthy individuals in the Cantonese population to analyze frequencies of its allelic genes.
Results: Differences in frequencies of the 4 SNPs between NPC patients and healthy controls were not significant (P > 0.05). All subjects were categorized into 2 groups by age of 45ûof the subjects in age of < or =45 group, the frequency of minor allele T of SNP C8880T was significantly higher in NPC patients than in healthy controls (7% vs. 4%, P < 0.05). Individuals carried allele T suffered higher risk of NPC (odds ratio=1.84).
Conclusion: SNP C8880T of pIgR is related with NPC susceptibility; pIgR gene may be associated to risk of NPC development.