GENETIC VARIANTS OF ENDOTHELIAL NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE (eNOS4a/b) AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO RENAL CELL CARCINOMA IN A TURKISH POPULATION

Nitric oxide (NO), plays a significant part in biological processes. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), the enzyme that catalyzes the generation of NO in endothelium, contains genetic polymorphisms that have been linked to an increased risk of developing cancer. The purpose of this investigation was to ascertain whether there is any connection between renal cell carcinom (RCC) and the eNOS 4a/b gene polymorphism. This study included 94 patients (mean age:54.2±10.5 years) diagnosed with histopathologically confirmed RCC and 188 healthy controls (mean age:56.7±11.1 years). eNOS 4a/b gene polymorphism was examined in DNA samples taken from patients and healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and agarose gel electrophoresis methods. The patient and control groups did not differ statistically significantly in terms of age or body mass index. The most frequent genotype of eNOS 4a/b gene polymorphism is bb genotype in a Turkish population. When compared to the control group, patients with RCC had significantly higher rates of the aa and ab genotypes (p=.018 and p=.000, respectively). There was no discernible difference in the eNOS 4a/b gene polymorphism between patients with high-grade and advanced-stage disease and those with low-grade and stage disease. We suggest that the eNOS 4a/b gene polymorphism may be effective in the onset of renal cell cancer, but it is not effective in development.