Metallothionein 2A genetic polymorphisms and risk of ductal breast cancer

Metallothioneins (MTs) are a family of metal binding proteins that play an important role in cellular processes such as proliferation and apoptosis. Metallothionein 2A is the most expressed MT isoform in the breast cells. A number of studies have demonstrated increased MT2A expression in various human tumors, including breast cancer. We carried out an association study to examine whether MT2A gene polymorphisms are associated with risk of breast cancer. Information on lifestyle risk factors was collected via a self-administered questionnaire. Genotyping was conducted using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) rs28366003, rs1610216 and rs10636 were genotyped in 534 breast cancer cases and 556 population controls. One SNP in MT2A (rs28366003) showed a positive association with breast cancer. Compared with homozygous common allele carriers, heterozygous for the G variant [odds ratio (OR) = 1.92, 95 % confidence interval (CI):1.28–2.81, p trend <0.01; the OR assuming a dominant model 1.93 (95 % CI: 1.29–2.89, p (dominant) <0.02) after adjustment for age, family history, smoking status, BMI, menarche, parity, menopausal status and use of contraceptive and menopausal hormones] had a significantly increased risk of breast cancer in Polish population, as well as women with haplotypes, including variant allele of rs28366003 SNP (OR = 1.58, CI: 0.41–6.33, p global = 0.03). Our data suggest that the rs28366003 SNP in MT2A is associated with risk of breast cancer in Polish population.