Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the RB1 gene and association with breast cancer in the British population

A substantial proportion of the familial risk of breast cancer may be attributable to genetic variants each contributing a small effect. pRb controls the cell cycle and polymorphisms within it are candidates for such low penetrance susceptibility alleles, since the gene has been implicated in several human tumours, particularly breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine whether common variants in the RB1 gene are associated with breast cancer risk. We assessed 15 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using a case–control study design (n⩽4474 cases and n⩽4560 controls). A difference in genotype frequencies was found between cases and controls for rs2854344 in intron 17 (P-trend=0.007) and rs198580 in intron 19 (P-trend=0.018). Carrying the minor allele of these SNPs appears to confer a protective effect on breast cancer risk (odd ratio (OR)=0.86 (0.76–0.96) for rs2854344 and OR=0.80 (0.66–0.96) for rs198580). However, after adjusting for multiple testing these associations were borderline with an adjusted P-trend=0.068 for the most significant SNP (rs2854344). The RB1 gene is not known to contain any coding SNPs with allele frequencies ⩾5% but several intronic variants are in perfect linkage disequilibrium with the associated SNPs. Replication studies are needed to confirm the associations with breast cancer

NMDA and Dopamine Converge on the NMDA-Receptor to Induce ERK Activation and Synaptic Depression in Mature Hippocampus

The formation of enduring internal representation of sensory information demands, in many cases, convergence in time and space of two different stimuli. The first conveys the sensory input, mediated via fast neurotransmission. The second conveys the meaning of the input, hypothesized to be mediated via slow neurotransmission. We tested the biochemical conditions and feasibility for fast (NMDA) and slow (dopamine) neurotransmission to converge on the Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase signaling pathways, crucial in several forms of synaptic plasticity, and recorded its effects upon synaptic transmission. We detected differing kinetics of ERK2 activation and synaptic strength changes in the CA1 for low and high doses of neurotransmitters in hippocampal slices. Moreover, when weak fast and slow inputs are given together, they converge on ERK2, but not on p38 or JNK, and induce strong short-term synaptic depression. Surprisingly, pharmacological analysis revealed that a probable site of such convergence is the NMDA receptor itself, suggesting it serves as a detector and integrator of fast and slow neurotransmission in the mature mammalian brain, as revealed by ERK2 activation and synaptic function

LINKAGE ANALYSIS OF FAMILIES WITH HEREDITARY RETINOBLASTOMA - NONPENETRANCE OF MUTATION, REVEALED BY COMBINED USE OF MARKERS WITHIN AND FLANKING THE RBI GENE

Nonpenetrance of the inherited mutation responsible for retinoblastoma has been reported. By DNA analysis in families with hereditary retinoblastoma, it is possible to identify healthy individuals in whom the mutation is nonpenetrant. This requires the use of DNA markers both within and flanking the retinoblastoma gene. We have analyzed the segregation of several markers in 19 families (69 meioses) with hereditary retinoblastoma. In two families a carrier was identified who showed nonpenetrance of the mutation predisposing to retinoblastoma. The intragenic markers were informative in 15 pedigrees. The use of flanking markers from the same chromosomal region caused an increase of the number of informative families to 18. No crossing-over within the gene was observed. In one family an inherited deletion involving one of the RB1 alleles was detected. Our findings emphasize the use of a combination of both intragenic and flanking markers to obtain both the highest reliability of carrier detection in families with hereditary retinoblastoma and an accurate estimate of the frequency of nonpenetrance

Mutation risk associated with paternal and maternal age in a cohort of retinoblastoma survivors

Autosomal dominant conditions are known to be associated with advanced paternal age, and it has been suggested that retinoblastoma (Rb) also exhibits a paternal age effect due to the paternal origin of most new germline RB1 mutations. To further our understanding of the association of parental age and risk of de novo germline Rb mutations, we evaluated the effect of parental age in a cohort of Rb survivors in the United States. A cohort of 262 retinoblastoma patients was retrospectively identified at one institution, and telephone interviews were conducted with parents of 160 survivors (65.3%). We built two sets of hierarchical stepwise logistic regression models to detect an increased odds of a de novo germline mutation related to older parental age compared to sporadic and familial Rb. The modeling strategy evaluated effects of continuous increasing maternal and paternal age and five-year age increases adjusted for the age of the other parent. Mean maternal ages for patients with de novo germline mutations and sporadic Rb were similar (28.3 and 28.5 respectively) as were mean paternal ages (31.9 and 31.2 respectively), and all were significantly higher than the weighted general U.S. population means. In contrast, maternal and paternal ages for familial Rb did not differ significantly from the weighted U.S. general population means. Although we noted no significant differences between mean maternal and paternal ages between each of the three Rb classification groups, we found increased odds of having a de novo germline mutation for each five-year increase in paternal age, but these findings were not statistically significant (de novo versus sporadic ORs: 30-34 = 1.65 [0.69-4], ≥35 = 1.34 [0.54-3.3]; de novo versus familial ORs: 30-34 = 2.82 [0.95 – 8.4], ≥35 = 1.61 [0.57-4.6]). Our study suggests a weak paternal age effect for Rb resulting from de novo germline mutations consistent with the paternal origin of most of these mutations