Variation in dicer gene is associated with increased survival in T-cell lymphoma

PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e51640. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051640. Epub 2012 Dec 10.

Abstract

Dicer, an endonuclease in RNase III family, is essential for the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. Aberrant expression of Dicer has been shown in various cancers including some subtypes of T cell lymphoma (TCL), which influences patient prognosis. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3742330A>G has been identified in the Dicer gene, located in the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) that is important for mRNA transcript stability. We investigated whether rs3742330 is associated with the survival in 163 TCL patients. Significant association between Dicer rs3742330 and TCL survival were found. Patients carrying the GG genotype (n = 12) had a significantly increased overall survival (OS) compared with those carrying the GA and AA genotypes (n = 70 and n = 81, respectively; p = 0.031). Moreover, the significant association was maintained for patients with mature T type (n = 134; p = 0.026). In multivariate Cox-regression analysis, rs3742330 proved to be an independent predictor for OS, together with the commonly used International Prognostic Index (IPI) and BAFF rs9514828, another SNP we have previously reported to be associated with TCL survival, with hazard ratios (HRs) for patient death rate of 8.956 (95% CI, 1.210 to 66.318; p = 0.032) for the GA genotype and 10.145 (95% CI, 1.371 to 75.084; p = 0.023) for the AA genotype. Furthermore, we observed cumulative effects of Dicer rs3742330 and BAFF rs9514828 on TCL survival. Compared with patients carrying zero unfavorable genotype, those carrying one and two unfavorable genotypes had an increased risk of death with a HR of 7.104 (95% CI, 0.969-53.086; p = 0.054) and 14.932 (95% CI, 1.950-114.354; p = 0.009), respectively, with a significant dose-response trend (p(trend) = 0.004). In conclusion, Dicer rs3742330 is associated with TCL survival, suggesting that genetic variation might play a role in predicting prognosis of TCL patients.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Alleles
  • B-Cell Activating Factor / genetics
  • DEAD-box RNA Helicases / genetics*
  • Female
  • Genetic Association Studies*
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease*
  • Genetic Variation*
  • Heterozygote
  • Humans
  • Lymphoma, T-Cell / diagnosis
  • Lymphoma, T-Cell / enzymology*
  • Lymphoma, T-Cell / genetics*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / genetics
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Ribonuclease III / genetics*
  • Survival Analysis

Substances

  • B-Cell Activating Factor
  • TNFSF13B protein, human
  • DICER1 protein, human
  • Ribonuclease III
  • DEAD-box RNA Helicases

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 81270605, 30971066) and the Chongqing Natural Science Fund Project (2008BA5001). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.