Association of Wilms' tumor 1 gene single-nucleotide polymorphism rs16754 with colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Our recent study demonstrated that the expression of Wilms' tumor 1 gene (WT1) is associated with surgical outcome in CRC patients. The present study aimed to investigate the genetic association of the single-nucleotide polymorphism rs16754 in the WT1 gene with the occurrence of CRC, using an age-matched case-control study design. In addition, the correlation between genotype and WT1 expression was investigated. Genomic DNA samples from 104 CRC cases, aged 15-65 years, and 208 healthy controls, were genotyped for rs16754 using the TaqMan genotyping method. The genotype distribution conformed to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P=0.80). The overall minor allele frequency (MAF) of rs16754 (allele A) was 0.33. The MAF among CRC cases was significantly higher compared with that in controls (0.39 vs. 0.31, respectively; P=0.03). The AA genotype was significantly associated with the disease (odds ratio = 2.51, 95% confidence interval: 1.24-5.07, P=0.01). Cases with the AA genotype exhibited a significantly poorer 3-year overall survival (60%), compared with those with the GG or GA genotypes (80%) (log-rank test, P<0.01). Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that the expression of WT1 in tumor tissues was higher compared with that in normal tissue; however, there were no significant differences in its expression among different genotypes. Therefore, rs16754 was found to be associated with the occurrence and prognosis of CRC in our subjects.