Association between TASTE 2 receptor member 16 gene polymorphisms and pituitary adenoma development

Abstract

Introduction: Pituitary adenoma (PA) is one of the most common central nervous system tumors [1]. PA is differentiated by hormone secretion into non-secretory (non-functional) and secretory (functionally active) [2]. Excess hormones secreted by PA can cause clinical syndromes such as hyperprolactinemia, acromegaly, and Cushing's syndrome [3]. The exact cause of PA remains unclear, but it is known that a small part (~ 5%) of PA due to hereditary syndromes is caused by gene changes [4]. Given the influence the genetic alterations that affect the occurrence of PA, new genetic markers can be searched to detect this disease [5]. Several studies showed that TAS2R16 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) impact cancer development. It is known that selected SNPs are related to colorectal adenoma and to rectal cancer [6,7]. Based on the association of TAS2R16 SNPs with cancer, we decided to investigate the association of TAS2R16 gene (rs978739, rs1357949) polymorphisms with PA. Aim: To determine the associations of TAS2R16 (rs978739, rs1357949) gene polymorphisms with pituitary adenoma development Materials and methods: The study included 107 patients with PA and 205 individuals in the control group. DNA was isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes using special commercial kits. Genotyping of TAS2R16 rs978739 and rs1357949 polymorphisms were performed using a real-time polymerase chain reaction method (RT-PCR). The obtained data were statistically evaluated using the "IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0" computer program. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the distribution of TAS2R16 rs978739 and rs1357949 genotypes and alleles for patients with PA and the control group. The genotypes and allele frequencies were also compared between male and female groups; however, there were no statistically significant differences. PA hormonal activity was compared, and we found that the frequencies of TAS2R16 rs978739 genotypes (T/T, C/T, and C/C) statistically significantly differed between the active PA and inactive PA groups (63.2%, 36.8%, and 0% vs. 46.8%, 44.7%, and 8.5%, respectively, p=0.039). Also, the rs978739 C allele was statistically significantly less common in patients with active PA than in those with inactive PA (18.42% vs. 30.85%, respectively, p=0.036). Binary logistic regression was performed to evaluate the TAS2R16 rs978739 and rs1357949 impact on PA development. Analysis revealed that each rs978739 C allele was associated with a 2.2-fold decreased odds of active PA development (OR=0.458; 95% PI: 0.226-0.928, p=0.03). Conclusion: TAS2R16 rs978739 genotypes (T/T, C/T, and C/C) were statistically significantly different when comparing hormonally active PA and inactive PA groups (p=0.039). The rs978739 C allele was statistically significantly less common in the active PA group than in the inactive PA group […].