Association between TNF-α rs1799964 and RAF1 rs1051208 MicroRNA binding site SNP and gastric cancer susceptibility in an Iranian population

AIM: The aim of this study was to find the relationship between rs1799964 in TNF-α gene as well as rs1051208 of RAF1 gene SNPs on GC in an Iranian population. BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide after lung cancer. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is one of the most important factors in the pathogenesis of this cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphisms have a principle role in gene expression of TNF-α and miRNAs which may lead to gastric cancer. METHODS: In a case-control study, we investigated the risk of GC in 198 Iranians. For this purpose, 5 mL of peripheral blood was collected in EDTA –containing tube and genomic DNA was isolated. Genotyping of SNPs was also performed by PCR-RFLP; to approve the outcome, 10% of genotyping results with RFLP were sequenced. RESULTS: The comparison between case and control groups revealed a significant association between the rs1051208 C allele of RAF1 gene and GC (P = 0.04). We did not observe any remarkable association between TNF-α -1031 in gastric cancer patients and the healthy control group. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that C allele in RAF1 gene plays a role in susceptibility to gastric cancer. Therefore, SNPs are among notable biomarkers for predicting susceptibility to dreadful diseases, especially cancers.