The Association Between AURKA Gene rs2273535 Polymorphism and Gastric Cancer Risk in a Chinese Population

The Aurora kinase A (AURKA) gene is frequently amplified and overexpressed in gastric cancer (GC). The overexpression of AURKA promotes inflammation and tumorigenesis in GC. We performed co-expression analysis to identify genes associated with AURKA and speculated its function through the COXPRESdb and STRING databases. We also conducted a hospital-based case-control study involving 385 GC cases and 470 controls in a Chinese population to evaluate the role of AURKA gene rs2273535 polymorphism in the risk of GC. Genotyping was performed using a custom-by-design 48-Plex single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) Scan™ Kit. Co-expression analysis indicated that the overexpression of AURKA may be associated with poor prognosis of GC. In addition, TT genotypes of rs2273535 polymorphism increased the risk of GC by 72% compared to the AA genotypes. This significant correlation was also observed in the allelic and dominant models. The stratified analysis suggested that TT+AT genotypes showed positive correlation with the risk of GC among female, age <55 years group and non-smokers compared to AA genotypes. In conclusion, AURKA plays an important role in the development of GC. Larger studies with more diverse ethnic populations are needed to confirm these results.