Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Besevler, 6500, Ankara, Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), whose genetic basis is not completely well understood, is the most common endocrine disorder in women and it typically develops during adolescence. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of FSHR, CYP17, CYP1A1, CAPN10, INSR, SERPINE1 genes and PCOS in adolescent girls. METHODS: DNA samples from forty-four adolescent girls with PCOS and 50 healthy controls were analyzed by PCR-RFLP and direct DNA sequencing to determine the genotypic frequency of 17 different polymorphic loci on the FSHR (A307T, N680S), CYP17 (-34 T/C), CYP1A1 (T6235C), CAPN10 (44, 43, 19, 63), INSR (exon 17 C/T), SERPINE1 (4G/5G) genes. Genotyping of exon 12 (six polymorphisms) and intron 12 (one polymorphism) of INSR gene by direct DNA sequencing was performed for the first time in this study. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in the genotype and allele distributions of above mentioned polymorphisms between cases and control groups. CONCLUSION: Our data does not support an association between SNPs of FSHR, CYP17, CYP1A1, CAPN10, INSR, SERPINE1 genes and susceptibility to PCOS or related traits in Turkish adolescent girls.

Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey guvemg@yahoo.com.

Human P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is encoded by the MDR1 gene, which is located on chromosomal region 7q21 and consists of 28 exons. To date, over 50 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reported for the MDR1 gene. The effect of these polymorphisms on P-gp function or their clinical impact is in most cases unknown, but some of the SNPs are known to be of functional relevance and can also alter the pharmacokinetics of substrate drugs. The aim of the current study was to analyze for the first time an existing silent MDR1 C1236T (Gly412Gly) polymorphism in a Turkish population. The genotype frequencies of C1236T SNP in a Turkish population were also compared with those in other populations. One hundred unrelated healthy subjects (48 females, 52 males) were included in this study and all them were of Turkish ethnicity. The genotyping of the C1236T SNP was performed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method. The frequencies of the wild-type C and mutant T alleles were 45.5 and 54.5%, respectively. The distribution of C1236T genotype frequencies in our study group was found to be similar to that in Czech, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Malay, and Japanese populations and different from that in French, German, Chinese, and Indian populations. The distributions of CC, CT, and TT genotypes were 20.0, 51.0, and 29.0%, respectively. Our study provides a framework for future studies concerning the role of polymorphic variants of MDR1 gene in the genesis of various diseases or in designing future pharmacogenetic and pharmacokinetic studies conducted with P-gp substrates in the Turkish population.

Gazi University, Faculty of Medicine.

Genetic and environmental factors are involved in Prostate Cancer (PCa) etiology. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may contribute to the PCa pathogenesis. The goal of this study is to determine the role of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms and haplotypes in the development and progression of sporadic PCa. One hundred and thirty-three PCa patients and one hundred and fifty-seven age-matched healthy controls were genotyped for the ApaI (rs7975232), BsmI (rs1544410) and TaqI (rs731236) polymorphisms in VDR gene by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. An association was observed between the ApaI polymorphism and PCa predisposition (P = 0.03). When compared with AA genotype, there was a highly notable difference in the frequencies of the Aa (P = 0.02), aa (P = 0.026) and ApaI “a” allele carriers (Aa+aa) (P = 0.009) genotypes. Furthermore, we found a statistical difference in the allele frequencies of the ApaI polymorphism between the sporadic PCa patients and control subjects (P = 0.013). The genotype distribution for the BsmI and TaqI polymorphisms were similar between cases and controls (P >0.05). No clinically significant relationship was found between the three-locus haplotypes and development of sporadic PCa. The genotype frequencies for the three polymorphisms of the VDR gene within subgroups of PCa (defined by tumor stage, Gleason score, PSA levels) were also analyzed, but no statistically noteworthy difference was observed (P >0.05). As far as we know, this is the first study which investigates the relationship between VDR genotypes and sporadic PCa in the Turkish Population. Our findings suggest that the VDR ApaI (rs7975232) polymorphism may play a role in the development of sporadic PCa.

Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, Schumannstrasse 20/21, 10098 Berlin, Germany.

BACKGROUND: OATP1B1 is one of the key hepatocellular uptake transporters providing extraction of diverse compounds, including bile acids, xenobiotics, and a variety of drugs, from portal venous blood into the liver. Polymorphisms of the SLCO1B1 gene have been demonstrated to influence in vitro transport function and the pharmacokinetic profile of compounds. OBJECTIVE: The goal of our study was the comparison of SLCO1B1 gene sequence variability in three ethnic groups as a basis for future genetic association studies. METHODS: Eighteen exonic SLCO1B1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped by PCR and RFLP analysis in 300 German, 94 Turkish, and 115 African subjects. Calculation of pairwise linkage disequilibrium and estimation of population haplotype frequencies were carried out, and haplotype block structure was determined. RESULTS: Only eight genotyped SNPs (c.388A>G, c.411G>A, c.463C>A, c.521T>C, c.571C>T, c.597C>T, c.1463G>>C, c.1929A>C) were found in at least one of our German, Turkish, or African samples. A total of 12 haplotypes with a frequency >or=1% in at least one of the three populations could be inferred. Between the Caucasian and African samples, significant differences in sequence variability were observed leading to a different haplotype profile in these populations. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate a high sequence variability of OATP1B1 within different popuations. In the future, distinct haplotypes should be taken into account when studying the effect of OATP1B1 on drugs in different populations.

Department of Cardiology, Ege University School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.

Introduction: Idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias commonly refer to ventricular tachycardia (VT) and/or frequent/monomorphic premature ventricular contractions (PVC) in patients with structurally normal heart. Activation of sympathetic tone has been shown to play an important role in the provocation and maintenance of these arrhythmias. We investigated whether common single nucleotide polymorphisms in the beta(1) and beta(2)-adrenergic receptors are associated with idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias. Methods: A total of 143 unrelated patients presenting with idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias were prospectively included in a case-control association study. Patient population was matched by age and gender to the unrelated, healthy control subjects (N = 307). All study subjects were of Turkish (Anatolian Caucasian) descent. Allele and genotype frequencies of the Gly389Arg and Ser49Gly polymorphisms of the beta(1)-adrenergic receptor and Arg16Gly, Gln27Glu, and Thr164Ile polymorphisms of the beta(2)-adrenergic receptor were compared between patient population and control subjects. The genotype frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Results: Patients with idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias had higher frequency of Arg389Arg genotype (22.4% vs 1.6%, P < 0.001), Arg389Gly49 (5.24% vs 0.73%, P = 0.005), and Arg389Ser49 (36.7% vs 13.6%, P < 0.001) haplotypes of the beta(1)-adrenergic receptor, and higher frequency of Gly16Gly (31.5% vs 13.4%, P < 0.001), Glu27Glu genotypes (18.2% vs 10.1%, P = 0.006) and Gly16Gln27Thr164 (15.3% vs 7.4%, P = 0.002), Gly16Glu27Thr164 (13.1% vs 7%, P = 0.004), and Gly16Glu27Ile164 (13.2% vs 6%, P = 0.002) haplotypes of the beta(2)-adrenergic receptor compared to control subjects. Conclusion: Our data suggest that common single nucleotide polymorphisms in the beta(1) and beta(2)-adrenergic receptors are significantly associated with idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias in Turkish population.

Division of Medical Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui, Japan.

Angiogenin and ribonuclease 2 (RNase 2) are members of the human RNase superfamily. Although three potential single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these genes, which could give rise to an amino acid substitution in the protein, have been identified, relevant population data are not available, and accordingly they have not been applied to clinical-genetic analysis. For this purpose, a novel genotyping method for each SNP using the mismatched PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique has been developed. Using this method, the genotype distribution of each SNP was investigated in six populations: Japanese (n = 167), Korean (n = 90), Mongolian (n = 92), Ovambos (n = 86), Turkish (n = 87), and German (n = 70). In all the populations, only one genotype was found in each SNP. Irrespective of differences in ethnic groups, the angiogenin and RNase 2 genes appear to exhibit markedly less genetic heterogeneity with regard to these SNPs. Copyright 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Besevler, Ankara, Turkey.

Lung cancer, a complex neoplasm of lung tissue, is influenced by several environmental and genetic factors which could be changed in each individual. Aurora-A gene is related to mitotic events such as: chromosome instability, cell cycle regulation, spindle formation, and kinetechore-microtubule connections. This centrosomic serine/threonine kinase provides a strong connection between mitotic errors and carcinogenesis. The genomic alterations such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can exist in molecular pathways of lung cancer. Therefore, we evaluated the role of genetic polymorphisms of Aurora-A gene in the lung cancer in the Turkish population. Genotypes of five Aurora-A polymorphisms (F31I, V57I, 6328G/A, P50L, and S104L) were determined in 102 healty controls and 102 new diagnosed lung cancer cases. All samples were genotyped with DNA sequence technique. There were not any genotype variations in P50L, S104L, and 6328G/A polymorphisms. The frequencies of both genotypes F31I and V57I in lung cancer patients were not significantly different from those in controls (p > 0.05). A multivariable logistic regression analysis with the involvement of patient characteristics, such as age and gender, did not change the results.