Open AccessThe methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T gene polymorphism is associated with breast cancer subtype susceptibility in southwestern China
Author(s) -
Zhen Li,
Ji Zhang,
Wei Zou,
Qi Xu,
Siyuan Liu,
Jie Wu,
Li Zhu,
Yunjiao Zhang,
Lei Xu,
Ying Zhang,
Qingsong Luo,
Jianyun Nie,
Xingxu Li,
Tianning Zou,
Ceshi Chen
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0254267
Subject(s) - methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase , breast cancer , medicine , oncology , carcinogenesis , genotype , gastroenterology , genetics , biology , cancer , gene
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), a folate-dependent enzyme, is reportedly involved in several cancer types. The MTHFR C677T polymorphism influences many biological processes, including tumorigenesis. However, the association between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and breast cancer (BC) subtypes is not fully understood. In this study, the MTHFR C677T polymorphism was genotyped in 490 individuals with or without BC from southwestern China. Analysis of the association between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and BC revealed that there was a significant association between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) (OR = 2.83, 95% CI: 1.12–9.51, P = 0.0401). Furthermore, the MTHFR C677T polymorphism can also serve as a protective factor in luminal A breast cancer (OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.34–0.94, P = 0.0258). Evaluation of the association between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and clinical characteristics indicated that people who suffered from hypertension had an increased risk for BC (OR = 2.27; 95% CI: 1.08–4.6; P = 0.0264), especially TNBC (OR = 215.38; 95% CI: 2.45–84430.3; P = 0.0317). Our results suggest that the MTHFR C677T polymorphism is significantly associated with susceptibility to luminal B breast cancer and TNBC.