CD44 Gene rs8193 C Allele Is Significantly Enriched in Gastric Cancer Patients

OBJECTIVE: Gastric cancer is a multifactorial disease. In addition to environmental factors, many genes are involved in this malignancy. One of the genes associated with gastric cancer is CD44 gene and its polymorphisms. CD44 gene plays role in regulating cell survival, growth and mobility. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs8193, located in the CD44 gene, has not been studied in gastric cancer patients of the Iranian population. The present study aims to study this polymorphism in 86 gastric cancer patients and 96 healthy individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional case-control study, rs8193 polymorphism was genotyped by allele specific primer polymerase chain reaction (ASP-PCR) technique. The obtained data were statistically analyzed. To find the potential mechanism of action, rs8193 was bioinformatically investigated. RESULTS: rs8193 C allele played a risk factor role for gastric cancer. Patients carrying this allele were more susceptible to have gastric cancer, with lymph node spread. On the other hand, rs8193 T allele, a protective factor, was associated with a higher chance of accumulation in the lower stages of cancer. C allele might impose its effect via destabilizing CD44 and miR-570 interaction. CONCLUSION: rs8193 is statistically associated with the risk of malignancy, lymph node spread and stage of gastric cancer in Iranian population.