MYLK and PTGS1 Genetic Variations Associated with Osteoporosis and Benign Breast Tumors in Korean Women

Osteoporosis, characterized by reduced bone mass and increased bone fragility, is a disease prevalent in women. Likewise, breast cancer is a multifactorial disease and considered the major cause of mortality in premenopausal and postmenopausal women worldwide. Our data demonstrated the association of the MYLK gene and PTGS1 gene variants with osteoporosis and benign breast tumor risk and the impact of ovariectomy on osteoporosis in Korean women. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of women with osteoporosis and benign breast tumors. There were 60 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 12 SNPs in the MYLK and PTGS1 genes, associated with benign breast tumors and osteoporosis. Our study showed that women with homozygous MYLK rs12163585 major alleles had an increased risk of osteoporosis following ovariectomy compared to those with minor alleles. Women carrying the minor PTGS1 rs1213265 allele and not treated via ovariectomy carried a higher risk of osteoporosis than those who underwent ovariectomy with a homozygous genotype at the major alleles. Our results suggest that both the MYLK and PTGS1 genes are genetic factors associated with the phenotypes, and these associations appear to be modulated by ovariectomy.