A common variant SNP rs1937810 in the MPP7 gene contributes to the susceptibility of breast cancer in the Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is common cancer caused by environmental factors and genetic ones. Previous evidence has linked gene MAGUK P55 Scaffold Protein 7 (MPP7) to BC, despite that there has been no research evaluating the relationship between MPP7 genetic polymorphisms and BC susceptibility. We aimed to investigate the potential association of the MPP7 gene with the susceptibility to BC in Han Chinese individuals.

METHODS: In total, 1390 patients with BC and 2480 controls were enrolled. For genotyping, 20 tag SNPs were chosen. The serum levels of protein MPP7 were measured in all subjects using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Genetic association analysis was performed in both genotypic and allelic modes, and the relationship between BC patients' clinical features and genotypes of relevant SNPs was examined. The functional implications of significant markers were also evaluated.

RESULTS: After adjusting for Bonferroni correction, SNP rs1937810 was found to be significantly associated with the risk of BC (p = 1.19 × 10-4 ). The odds ratio of CC genotypes in BC patients was 49% higher than in controls (1.49 [1.23-1.81]). Serum MPP7 protein levels were significantly higher in BC patients than in controls (p < 0.001). The protein level of the CC genotype was the highest, and that of the CT and TT genotypes decreased in turn (both p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Our results linked SNP rs1937810 to the susceptibility of BC and the clinical features of BC patients. This SNP is also proved to be significantly related to the serum level of protein MPP7 in both BC patients and controls.