Affiliations: [a] Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of Nikea and Piraeus “Agios Panteleimon”, Nikea, Greece | [b] Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Biology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece | [c] Academic Department of Gastroenterology, Laiko General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece | [d] Second Department of Surgery, Aretaieion University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece | [e] Second Department of Medical Oncology, Agii Anargiri Cancer Hospital, Athens, Greece
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Maria Gazouli, Laboratory of Biology, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Michalakopoulou 176, Athens 11725, Greece. Tel.: +30 21 07462231; Fax: +30 21 07462231; E-mail: mgazouli@med.uoa.gr.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as candidate biomarkers of cancer, having regulatory functions in both oncogenic and tumor-suppressive pathways. Concerning pancreatic cancer (PC), deregulation of lncRNAs involved in tumor initiation, invasion, and metastasis seem to play a key role. However, data is scarce about regulatory mechanism of lncRNA expression. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to investigate the contribution of two lncRNAs polymorphisms (rs1561927 and rs4759313 of PVT1 and HOTAIR, respectively) in PC susceptibility. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted analysing rs1561927 and rs4759313 polymorphisms using DNA collected in a population-based case-control study of pancreatic cancer (111 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cases (PDAC), 56 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET), and 125 healthy controls). RESULTS: Regarding the PVT1 rs1561927 polymorphism the G allele was significantly overrepresented in both PDAC and PNET patients compared to the controls, while the presence of the HOTAIR rs4759314 G allele was found to be overrepresented in the PNET patients only compared to the controls. The PVT1 rs1561927 AG/GG genotypes were associated with poor overall survival in PDAC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that polymorphisms of these two lncRNA polymorphisms implicated in pancreatic carcinogenesis. Further large-scale and functional studies are needed to confirm our results.
