Aurora-A/STK15 T+91A is a general low penetrance cancer susceptibility gene: a meta-analysis of multiple cancer types.

STK15 (Aurora-A) is a serine/threonine kinase involved in mitotic chromosomal segregation. A genetic variant in STK15 T+91A (resulting in the amino acid substitution F31I) is associated with increased aneuploidy in colon tumors and cell transformation in vitro. Since this polymorphism plays a role in mitotic control-a process critical for all cancer types-we conducted association analyses for risk of cancer development of the colon, breast, prostate, skin, lung and esophagus in 10 independent case-control populations.

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and prostate cancer risk.

Background: Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that is thought to play a role in the etiology and progression of prostate cancer. Hormone activity requires binding to the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which contains several genetic polymorphisms that have been associated with risk of prostate cancer. To further evaluate this relationship, we conducted a population-based case-control study of the VDR BsmI, FokI, and Poly-A polymorphisms, and prostate cancer.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in women from Shanghai China.

Little is known about the frequency of germ-line mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 among Asian populations. We investigated the distribution of BRCA1 and BRCA2 germ-line mutations and polymorphisms in a cohort of women from Shanghai, China. Study subjects totaled 1306, and included 645 women with breast cancer, 342 women with benign breast disease, and 319 unaffected controls, born between 1924 and 1958, selected from women enrolled in a randomized trial of Breast Self-Examination in Shanghai, China.

Linkage mapping of the primary disease locus for collie eye anomaly.

Collie eye anomaly (cea) is a hereditary ocular disorder affecting development of the choroid and sclera segregating in several breeds of dog, including rough, smooth, and Border collies and Australian shepherds. The disease is reminiscent of the choroidal hypoplasia phenotype observed in humans in conjunction with craniofacial or renal abnormalities. In dogs, however, the clinical phenotype can vary significantly; many dogs exhibit no obvious clinical consequences and retain apparently normal vision throughout life, while severely affected animals develop secondary retinal detachment, intraocular hemorrhage, and blindness.