Investigation of Survivin Promoter -31 G/C Polymorphism and Survivin Levels in Acromegaly

Objevtive: Acromegaly is a rare disease characterized by growth hormone hypersecretion generally arising from pituitary adenomas. Survivin, an apoptosis inhibitor protein, plays an important role in cell cycle regulation and possibly involves hypophysis gland proliferation mechanisms. However, the underlying causes of somatotroph adenomas with different behaviors and useful prognostic markers are still not fully understood. We investigated possible associations between survivin gene promoter -31 G\C genotypes and serum survivin level and clinical prognostic factors in acromegaly. Material and Methods: Sixty-eight acromegaly patients and 171 age-sex matched control subjects were enrolled in the study. Survivin -31 G\C polymorphism was performed by using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Blood GH and IGF1 levels were assayed using a chemiluminescence immunometric assay. Serum survivin levels were determined by ELISA. Results: Acromegaly patients had significantly higher serum survivin levels than controls (p=0.001). We found no significant association between acromegaly patients and controls in terms of survivin gene promoter -31 G\C genotype distribution and allele frequencies. No correlation was found between disease characteristics and survivin gene polymorphisms. Conclusion: Our study suggests that serum survivin levels might be associated with acromegaly, but survivin -31 G\C polymorphisms do not modify individual susceptibility to acromegaly in the Turkish population.