Assessing the Relationship of C-FOS Gene Expression and rs997415225 Polymorphism with Gastric Cancer in the Iranian Population of Isfahan Province

Gastric cancer (GC) is an exceedingly prevalent cancer worldwide and one of the main reasons for death from cancer. The individuals’ susceptibility to GC depends upon several genetic and epigenetic alterations that occur over their lifetime. The C-FOS is an oncoprotein that engages in tumorigenesis through its oncogenic roles. It modulates many cellular functions, and its aberrant expression can lead to several types of cancers.

The Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS) PCR technique was conducted to detect genotypic types of rs997415225 in 50 healthy controls and 45 patients with GC. Furthermore, the quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) technique was applied to determine C-FOS relative gene expression in 20 healthy controls and 20 cancer patients.

Genotypic types of rs997415225 did not seem to be correlated with GC (P > 0.05), but allele “A” frequency was correlated (P = 0.048). Also, there was a significant difference between the two groups regarding the C-FOS gene expression level (P = 0.044).

It has been found that genotypic types of rs997415225 have no impact on GC; however, the presence of allele “A” is associated with a potential risk of GC development. In addition, the increased C-FOS gene expression was linked to the progression of this cancer; hence, preventing GC through C-FOS down-regulation might be a promising approach.