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The polymorphic CAG repeat in the androgen receptor gene in Jewish Israeli women with endometrial carcinoma
Author(s) -
Yaron Michal,
Levy Tally,
Chetrit Angela,
Levavi Hanoch,
Sabah Gad,
Schneider David,
Halperin Reuvit,
BenRafael Zion,
Friedman Eitan
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(20010901)92:5<1190::aid-cncr1437>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - androgen receptor , allele , endometrial cancer , androgen , carcinoma , cancer research , estrogen , medicine , endocrinology , exon , biology , gene , cancer , hormone , genetics , prostate cancer
BACKGROUND Endometrial carcinoma is considered a hormonal‐dependent tumor; estrogen induces endometrial cellular proliferation, whereas progestines display an antiproliferative effect on endometrial tissue. The role that androgen and its receptor (androgen receptor [AR]) play in the pathogenesis of endometrial carcinoma is less clear. Although androgen has an in vitro inhibitory effect on endometrial cell proliferation, up to 75% of endometrial carcinoma express AR somatically. A polymorphic CAG repeat within exon 1 of the AR encodes for a polyglutamine tract, with length range of 8 to 33 repeats, which is inversely correlated with the transcriptional activity of the AR. METHODS To gain insight into the role of AR in endometrial carcinoma, the authors analyzed the polymorphic CAG repeat in 79 Jewish Israeli patients with endometrial carcinoma as compared with 44 healthy Jewish women serving as controls. Analysis was conducted using germline DNA as template and using polymerase chain reaction primers flanking the CAG repeat with subsequent fluorescent determination of allele sizes. RESULTS Allele size range of the longer of the two alleles in the patients was 11–33 (mean, 19.8 ± 2.7) and in the controls 10–22 (mean, 17.9 ± 1.9), a statistically significant difference ( P < 0.01). Allele size variation within the patient group did not correlate with disease stage, grade, reproductive history, or age at diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS The authors conclude that AR‐CAG repeat length differs in Jewish patients with endometrial carcinoma as compared with healthy individuals in Israel, and this finding increases the possibility that the AR is involved in the predisposition to this neoplasm. Cancer 2001;92:1190–4. © 2001 American Cancer Society.