Polymorphisms in the Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Promoters and Susceptibility to Glial Tumors in Turkey

AIM: Evidence suggests an association between MMP-9 functional gene polymorphisms and several tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at MMP-9 R279Q A/G, P574R G/C and R668Q G/A and R668Q (rs17577) genotypes with glial tumors in Turkey. MATERIAL and METHODS: The present series consisted of tissue samples obtained from 100 cancer-free controls and 100 patients who had undergone glial tumor resection from 2007 to 2011 at the Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty of Istanbul University. Blood samples were collected to extract the genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of each subject by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing. The genotypes of MMP-9 P574R, R279Q and R668Q SNPs were determined by using the PCR-RFLP assay. Genotypic distributions between patient and control groups were compared for correlations with glial tumor occurrence. RESULTS: SNPs in MMP-9 were not found to be significantly associated with glial tumor risk among participants except R279Q (G-G) which showed high risk only in multivariate analysis (OR adjusted, 3.15 95% CI, 1.10-9.01). The comparisons between the grade of tumor and the genotypic polymorphisms also showed no significant associations in the case group (all p values > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The current study showed a significant association between the R279Q G/G polymorphism and formation of glial tumor in advanced age. Changed protein features may cause triggering of some subcellular mechanisms that may have a role in activating oncogenic processes over the years. These data add to the growing epidemiological and experimental evidence that MMP-9 may play a role in glial tumors.