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No association between cSHMT genotypes and the risk of breast cancer in the Nurses' Health Study

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 64, pages 108–110 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Objectives:

Increased breast cancer risk has been observed with both low folate status and a functional polymorphism in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR 677C → T). Cytoplasmic serine hydroxymethyltransferase (cSHMT) affects the flow of one-carbon units through the folate metabolic network, but there is little research on a role for genetic variation in cSHMT in determining breast cancer risk.

Methods:

A nested case–control study within the Nurses' Health Study was used to investigate an association between cSHMT (1420C → T) and breast cancer risk.

Results:

No evidence for an association between the cSHMT genotype and breast cancer was observed. There was also no evidence of a gene–gene interaction between cSHMT and MTHFR.

Conclusions:

There was no evidence of an association between the cSHMT genotype and breast cancer occurrence. Further research in populations with differing average folate intake may be required to fully understand the interactions of folate nutrition, sequence variation in folate genes and breast cancer risk.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by USDA (CSREES) subproject on Grant numbers 2003–34324–13135; CA87969; CA49449; ARB was supported in part by NIH training Grant T32 DK007158–31.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    A R Bentley, F Raiszadeh, P J Stover & P A Cassano

  2. Department of Medicine, Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA

    D J Hunter & S E Hankinson

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA

    D J Hunter & S E Hankinson

  4. Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA

    D J Hunter

Authors
  1. A R Bentley
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  2. F Raiszadeh
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  3. P J Stover
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  4. D J Hunter
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  5. S E Hankinson
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  6. P A Cassano
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Correspondence to P A Cassano.

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Bentley, A., Raiszadeh, F., Stover, P. et al. No association between cSHMT genotypes and the risk of breast cancer in the Nurses' Health Study. Eur J Clin Nutr 64, 108–110 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2009.104

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2009.104

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