Polymorphisms in RETN gene and susceptibility to colon cancer in Saudi patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Resistin is an adipocytokine, which has been studied for its role in insulin resistance and recently in inflammation. Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified in the human resistin gene (RETN). This study aims to investigate the association of RETN rs1862513 (C-420G) and rs3745367 (G+299A) SNPs with the colon cancer risk in Saudi patients. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: This is a case-control study conducted among Saudi adult colon cancer patients recruited from King Abdulaziz Hospital and Oncology Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In this study, 120 Saudi volunteers (60 colon cancer patients and 60 disease-free controls) were studied. The SNPs were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and genotyping using PCR- restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. RESULTS: In comparing the result obtained for the patient group with that of the controls, colon cancer group displayed different genotype distribution of the RETN C-420G and G+299A SNPs. The study indicated that the SNP-420 heterozygous (CG) genotype (odds ratio [OR]=2.48, 95% CI 1.07–5.74, P=.03) and the SNP +299 heterozygous (GA) genotype (OR=6.5, 95% CI 1.77–24.18, P=.002) significantly increased the risk of colon cancer. A further analysis of the genotype combination of SNPs RETN C-420G and G+299A showed a larger increase in the colon cancer risk. CONCLUSION: These preliminary results suggested a potential role for RETN C-420G and G+299A polymorphisms in the genetic predisposition to colon cancer disease.