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Genotypes in the Etiology of Prostate Cancer: Genotype-Environment Interactions with Smoking1
Departments of Environmental Health Sciences [S. N. K.] and Epidemiology [S. L. R. K.], University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, and Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology [A. H. W., T. R. R.] and Urology [A. J. W., S. B. M.], and the Cancer Center [A. J. W., S. B. M., T. R. R.], University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6021
| Abstract |
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class of the glutathione
S-transferases (GSTs), have an elevated risk of prostate
cancer (CaP). This result is supported by studies that show glutathione
conjugation of some xenobiotics by the GSTs can produce mutagenic
intermediates. However, the potential role of environmental factors in
modifying the risk of CaP conferred by GSTT1 is not
known. We investigated whether there was an interaction between smoking
and the non-deleted genotypes of the µ
(GSTM1) and
(GSTT1)
GST genes using a clinic-based study of 276 CaP
cases and 499 controls. We observed no main effect of smoking (odds
ratio, 0.95; confidence interval, 0.691.29) or GSTM1
(odds ratio, 1.00; confidence interval, 0.731.36) with CaP, but did
observe a statistically significant main effect of GSTT1
with CaP (odds ratio, 1.61; confidence interval, 1.142.28) as
reported previously. No interaction between smoking and
GSTM1 was observed. A significant increase in the
probability of having CaP was observed in men who were both smokers and
carried a non-deleted GSTT1 genotype compared with men
who had neither or only one of these risk factors
(P = 0.049). Approximately 30.9% of CaP cases in
this study could be attributed to the
smokingxGSTT1 interaction. Whereas the mechanism
of this interaction is not known, it is plausible that the metabolism
of carcinogenic intermediates or the response to chronic inflammation
associated with smoking may be modulated by the GSTT1
genotype and may modify CaP risk. | Introduction |
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classes of the
GSTs3
have been implicated in the etiology of cancer at several sites
(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
. To date, most studies have focused on homozygous
deletions in these genes as risk factors for chemical carcinogenesis;
homozygous deletions exist at GSTM1 in
4060% of the
Caucasian population in the United States and at GSTT1 in
2030% of the Caucasian population in the United States
(1)
. Homozygous deletions at GSTM1 have been
associated with cancers of the lung (6)
, colorectum
(7)
, and stomach (8)
. Less is known about
cancer risk attributable to homozygous deletions at the
GSTT1 locus, although increased breast and larynx cancer
risk have been associated with GSTT1 deletion (9
, 10)
. A recent case-control study showed that individuals
carrying the non-deleted GSTT1 allele, either as
heterozygotes or homozygotes, were at increased risk of developing
prostate cancer (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.192.80; Ref. 2
).
That sample contained many of the same individuals who are
studied in the present paper. This finding was consistent with the
hypothesis that GST-
catalyzes the bioactivation of certain
xenobiotics to genotoxic metabolites (11, 12, 13, 14)
such as
dichloromethane and other halogenated alkanes. Results from previous studies evaluating smoking as a risk factor for prostate cancer have been equivocal (15 , 16) . However, few studies have evaluated interactions between exposures (e.g., smoking or occupational exposures) and genes encoding carcinogen metabolism enzymes in prostate cancer etiology. We hypothesized that interactions between smoking and the non-deleted GSTM1 or GSTT1 genotype may be associated with increased risk of prostate cancer. We investigated this hypothesis using a case-control study of 276 men (ages 4180 years) that developed prostate cancer between 1994 and 1998, and 499 controls identified during the same time period from clinics of HUP.
| Materials and Methods |
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The controls studied here were men attending HUP general medicine
clinics. These clinics see a patient population that is demographically
similar to those seen in the Urological Oncology Clinics at HUP. These
men were ascertained concurrently with the CaP cases (i.e.,
between September 1994 and April 1998). Controls were excluded from
this study if they ever had an abnormal prostate-specific antigen test
(i.e.,
4 ng/dl), if they had ever had an abnormal digital
rectal examination, if they had a previous cancer diagnosis, or if they
reported having had exposure to finasteride (Proscar) at the time of
study ascertainment. Prostate-specific antigen values were
available from medical records and/or self-report from all controls.
Information was not available about non-cancer diagnoses or exposures
to medications used to treat these conditions. Controls were
frequency-matched to cases on the basis of age and race.
However, because the frequency matching was approximate, analyses
adjusted for age and race were also undertaken to account for residual
variation attributable to these factors. The mean age in the cases was
61.2 years versus 60.2 years in the controls. The vast
majority of cases and controls were Caucasian (84.0%), 13.3% were
African-American, and about 3% of the study populations were of Asian
or other racial category.
Data Collection.
Medical history and prostate cancer diagnostic information were
obtained by using a standardized questionnaire and a review of medical
records. With regard to smoking history, subjects were asked if they
had ever smoked cigarettes for a period of 1 year or longer. Those who
replied in the affirmative were considered smokers in the present
analyses.
Samples of genomic DNA were obtained by self-collection by each study subject using sterile cheek swabs. The samples were processed and analyzed using the protocol described previously by Rebbeck et al. (2) . A small number of genotypes were not determined for either GSTM1 or GSTT1 because of genotype assay failures. The following genotype categories were used in this study: (a) homozygous deletion genotypes at GSTM1, denoted "GSTM10," were compared with genotypes for which at least one non-deleted allele was present, denoted "GSTM11"; (b) the same definition was used to distinguish between the deleted and non-deleted GSTT1 genotypes ("GSTT10 " and "GSTT11," respectively).
Analytical Methods.
Genotype-disease associations, smoking-disease associations, and
genotype-smoking interactions were analyzed using logistic
regression models. A likelihood ratio test was used to evaluate whether
genotype-smoking interactions significantly improved the prediction of
CaP risk by comparing a reduced model, which included the main effects
of smoking and genotype as predictors, with a complete model, which
included those terms plus an interaction term. The likelihood ratio
test statistic is approximately distributed as a
2
with degrees of freedom equal to the
difference in the number of model parameters between the reduced and
complete models. We also investigated whether the interaction between
genotype and smoking was age-dependent using the Cochran-Armitage test
for trend (17)
and the Breslow-Day test of homogeneity
(18)
.
To estimate the potential public health implications of an interaction,
we calculated the AR of the interaction using the
following equation (19)
:
![]() |
| Results |
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Analysis of Smoking and Genotype.
The results of the analyses evaluating the effect of smoking and
genotype are presented in Table 2, A and B
. Ever
having smoked for 1 year or more was not associated with the
probability of having CaP (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.691.29), nor was the
GSTM1 genotype (OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.731.36). Overall, the
model containing no interaction was not statistically significant
(P = 0.923). Mutually adjusting for smoking and for
GSTM1 genotype did not substantially alter the observed ORs
associated with smoking or with the GSTM1 genotype (Table 2A)
. A model containing a
smokingxGSTM1 interaction was also not statistically
significant (P = 0.590). Using nonsmokers with the
GSTM10 genotype as the reference category, the ORs for CaP
were: (a) OR, 0.94 (95% CI, 0.691.29) in
GSTM10 smokers; (b) OR, 1.00 (95% CI,
0.731.37) in GSTM11 nonsmokers; and (c) OR,
0.94 (95% CI, 0.491.61) in smokers with GSTM11.
|

2
= 3.86; P < 0.05).
Using nonsmokers with the GSTT10 genotype as the reference
category, the ORs for CaP were OR, 0.98 (95% CI, 0.721.33) in
GSTT10 smokers; OR, 1.61 (95% CI, 1.142.28) in
GSTT11 nonsmokers; and OR, 1.57 (95% CI, 1.092.22) in
smokers with GSTT11. Because race is known to be strongly associated with CaP risk, we undertook a subset analysis of Caucasians to evaluate our initial results in a more racially homogeneous population (n = 607; 222 cases; 385 controls). The same logistic regression models were built, and results were obtained that were very similar to those described above. In fact, the magnitude of the smokingxGSTT1 interaction term was greater (OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.034.76) and slightly more significant (Wald P = 0.043) in the Caucasian-only group (results not shown).
To further examine the interaction between GSTT1 and
smoking across age groups, we stratified our sample by age
decades and evaluated the differences in relative frequency of
the GSTT11 genotype among smokers and nonsmokers in cases
and controls. ORs and 95% CIs were also calculated and are presented
concurrently with the genotype frequencies in Figs. 1
and 2
. In
nonsmokers (Fig. 1)
, the relative frequency of GSTT11
genotype among cases and controls was fairly similar across the age
groups. An exception was in the first age group in which 100% of the
cases had the GSTT11 genotype, although the sample size
for cases in this age group was small (n = 11). In
comparison, among smokers, the relative frequency of the
GSTT11 genotype among cases was consistently greater than
among the controls across the four age groups of smokers, indicating
the increased likelihood of cases who smoked to have the
GSTT11 genotype. These same patterns of
GSTT11 genotype frequency and ORs were observed when the
sample was limited to Caucasians only.
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Using the AR equation in the "Materials and Methods"
section (Khoury et al., Ref. 19
) to estimate
the AR of disease because of the smokingxGSTT1
interaction, we estimate Pge to be
44.92%, Rge to be 2.03,
Re to be 0.58, and
Rg to be 1.06 (taken from Table 2B
). Substituting these estimates into the AR equation
yields a value of 30.9%.
| Discussion |
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27.2% of the
CaP cases in our study. Age did not have an appreciable effect on the
interaction between smoking and GSTT1, although the sample
size available for the test of trend in some age groups was small. In several studies, genetic risk of environmentally induced disease has been observed to be higher in individuals who lack genes coding for carcinogen metabolism enzymes or express less active forms of these enzymes (20, 21, 22) . This has been observed with the GSTs (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 , 10) . For example, persons lacking GSTM1 are at higher risk of developing lung cancer (5) . In our case, we have observed the opposite; that is, individuals possessing the non-deleted GSTT1 genotype (GSTT11) were found to be at higher risk of prostate cancer, and this risk is heightened by an interaction with smoking.
The mechanisms by which such an interaction between GSTT1
and smoking elevate the risk of prostate cancer are unknown at this
point. However, two plausible mechanisms can be proposed to explain the
observed relationship. First, some metabolic intermediates in the
GST-
pathway of glutathione conjugation are mutagenic
(11, 12, 13, 14)
. At least three studies have shown that
GST-
-dependent glutathione conjugation of dichloromethane yields
formaldehyde, which is capable of producing DNA-protein crosslinks or
formaldehyde-RNA adducts in the human and mouse liver
(12, 13, 14)
. Byproducts of tobacco smoke include methyl
chloride (23)
, which is a substrate of GST-
detected at
appreciable levels in cigarette smoke. Methyl chloride undergoes a
biotransformation similar to that of dichloromethane (24)
.
Conjugation of methyl chloride by GST-
produces S-methylglutathione
and subsequently S-methylcysteine after cleavage by transpeptidases.
Methylthiopyruvic acid is then formed by a transamination reaction, and
then is decarboxylated to methylthioacetic acid, with methanethiol
being the next metabolite. Experimental evidence from Garnier et
al. (25)
and Chellman et al.
(26)
suggests that this may be a toxifying rather than a
detoxifying pathway, because the oxidation of methanethiol produces
formaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide (24)
, both of which are
toxic metabolites (27)
. Formaldehyde can form DNA-protein
crosslinks or formaldehyde-RNA adducts, as seen during the metabolism
of dichloromethane, and hydrogen sulfide is an inhibitor of cytochrome
oxidase (28)
. Given that GST-
is highly expressed in
the prostate (29)
and that systemic circulation of methyl
chloride could perfuse the prostate, the production of mutagenic
intermediates in the prostate itself may be a mechanism promoting
tumorigenesis. The pharmacokinetic issues of whether or not methyl
chloride reaches the prostate and in what concentration are important,
unstudied issues that would need to be addressed to substantiate this
etiological model.
Alternatively, it is plausible that smoking directly or indirectly
induces inflammation of the prostate. Chronic inflammation has been
linked to carcinogenesis in several organs (30, 31, 32)
.
Systemic depletion of antioxidants by chronic exposure to tobacco
combustion products as well as lung tissue injury by constituents of
tobacco smoke can result in inflammation and lead to a state of
oxidative stress (33, 34, 35, 36)
. The subsequent release of
inflammatory cytokines can then promote inflammation. Endogenous
substrates of GST-
have not yet been identified, but it is known
that the GSTs, in general, participate in leukotriene synthesis and are
mediators of the inflammatory response. The conversion of
Leukotriene A4 to Leukotriene C4 is catalyzed by the GSTs
(37)
. Because GST-
is highly expressed in the prostate,
it is possible that upon receiving the signal of inflammatory
cytokines, a more vigorous or more chronic inflammation response is
mounted in the prostate gland of individuals with the
GSTT11 genotype versus the GSTT10
genotype individual. Inflammatory cells release reactive oxygen and
nitrogen species, which can bind and alter DNA (38, 39)
.
The prostate may already be vulnerable because of a preexisting
condition of oxidative stress as well. There is evidence which suggests
that inflammation of the prostate may be linked to the development of
neoplasia (40, 41, 42, 43)
, lending credence to this model.
Additionally, inflammatory cells such as neutrophils have been shown to
activate procarcinogens, e.g., constituents of tobacco
smoke, aromatic amines, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, to
DNA-damaging species by oxidant-dependent mechanisms, providing another
mechanism by which inflammation of the prostate could promote
carcinogenesis (44)
. Finally, other lines of evidence from
different types of studies also suggest that oxidative stress may be
etiologically important and may be responsible for inducing
carcinogenesis or disease progression in the prostate. One study has
shown that dietary antioxidants inhibit prostate tumor cell
proliferation in mice (45)
, and similar studies have led
to a large-scale clinical trial that is testing the hypothesis that
dietary antioxidants can prevent CaP disease progression
(46)
.
There are a number of limitations of our study. One limitation is the way in which smoking status was assessed. Study participants were asked in a yes/no format whether they had ever smoked cigarettes for a period of 1 year or more. This question does not discern between individuals who may have vastly different smoking histories in terms of type of cigarette smoked (i.e., filtered versus nonfiltered cigarettes), amount smoked, or type of exposure (e.g., cigarette versus pipe and cigar smoking). Hence, we were unable to stratify our analyses by smoking exposure type or level. Had such stratification been feasible, it would have been possible to assess a potential dose-response relationship, perhaps revealing greater magnitudes of interaction between smoking and GSTT1. Additionally, diet and occupational exposures are confounders that may have influenced our results. Both have been implicated in CaP development by several studies (47, 48, 49, 50) and were not simultaneously addressed in this study. Finally, we detected an effect of age on genotype frequencies at GSTT1 in smokers but not in nonsmokers. The observation of a trend toward decreasing GSTT10 frequency with age in smokers could reflect the fact that smokers with this genotype were selectively removed from the population because of other illnesses. Therefore, the observation that prostate cancer may be associated with the presence of GSTT1 genotype could be attributable to the fact that GSTT10 controls were in deficit in the population because of the effects of this genotype on the risk of other smoking-related diseases. However, our sample of smokers in each age group was relatively small, and may have not been adequate to evaluate trends of genotype by age. Therefore, any potential inferences about age-specific effects by genotype are limited in the present sample.
Additional research is needed to confirm these findings, preferably
using more detailed assessments of smoking exposures. Future directions
for this area of research should also aim to further assess
interactions between GSTT1 and other environmental
exposures. Occupational exposure to other substrates of GST-
might
also prove to be important in prostate cancer etiology. The
mechanism(s) of these interactions also needs to be addressed to help
support or diminish the strength of the hypotheses raised by the
present results. Biomarkers of exposure could be used in molecular
epidemiological studies to help elucidate the mechanism. The use of a
prostate cell line or an animal model of prostate cancer in which human
GSTT1 is expressed might also provide pathophysiological
data to help differentiate between the potential inflammation-induced
and bioactivation pathways of prostatic carcinogenesis.
| Acknowledgments |
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| Footnotes |
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1 This study was supported by USPHS Grants
R29-ES08031 and R01-CA85074 (to T. R. R.) and U10-HL54457 and
U19-CA84953 (to S. L. R. K.). ![]()
2 To whom requests for reprints should be
addressed, at Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University
of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 904 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian
Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021. Phone:
(215) 898-1793; Fax: (215) 573-2265; Email: trebbeck{at}cceb.med.upenn.edu ![]()
3 The abbreviations used are: GST, glutathione
S-transferase; HUP, Hospital of the University of
Pennsylvania; CaP, prostate cancer; AR, attributable risk. ![]()
Received 5/ 3/00; revised 9/14/00; accepted 9/22/00.
| References |
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(GSTT1) genotypes in the etiology of prostate cancer. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomark. Prev., 8: 283-287, 1999.
peak. Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 396: 24-35, 1975.[Medline]
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