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. 2012 Aug;16(8):841–845. doi: 10.1089/gtmb.2011.0308

Prevalence of the NKG2D Thr72Ala Polymorphism in Patients with Cervical Carcinoma

Andrzej Roszak 1,2, Margarita Lianeri 3, Pawel P Jagodziński 3,✉
PMCID: PMC3422554  PMID: 22480139

Abstract

Background: The natural killer group 2, member D (NKG2D) receptor is mainly situated on the surface of NK and CD8+ αβ T cells that are involved in the defense against viral agents and in cancer immunosurveillance. The G>A transition (Thr72Ala) (rs2255336) located in the NKG2D region encoding the transmembrane part of this receptor has been associated with decreased functionality of NK and T cells. Methods: Using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphisms, we examined the NKG2D Thr72Ala polymorphism in patients with cervical cancer (n=353) and controls (n=366) in a Polish population. Results: We observed an increased frequency of Thr/Thr or/and Thr/Ala genotypes in controls compared with all patients with cervical cancer; however, these differences were not significant. We found a significantly increased frequency of the NKG2D 72Thr allele in controls than in all patients (odds ratio [OR]=0.7410 [95% confidence intervals (CI)=0.5683–0.9662, p=0.0265]). Moreover, stratification of patients based on cancer stage showed a significant increase in the Thr/Thr genotype frequency (OR=0.3086 [95% CI=0.09097–1.047, p=0.0461]), as well as in the Thr/Thr and Thr/Ala genotype frequency (OR=0.4504 [95% CI=0.2891–0.7018, p=0.0003]), in controls compared with patients with cervical cancer in stages III and IV. The frequency of the NKG2D 72Thr allele was also significantly increased in controls as compared with patients in stage III and IV cancer (OR=0.4699 [95% CI=0.3170–0.6967, p=0.0001]). Conclusion: Our studies may suggest that the women with cervical cancer bearing the NKG2D 72Thr gene variant might be protected against progression to advanced stages of this cancer.

Introduction

Cervical cancer is one of the most prevalent female malignant neoplasms and the main cause of early-onset death in women (Arbyn et al., 2007). The human papilloma virus (HPV) is recognized as being the major cause of cervical tumors and their precursor lesions, which are of varying degrees and are called cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CIN) (Walboomers et al., 1999; Giuliano et al., 2002). HPV is one of the common viruses sexually transmitted, existing in about 100 different subtypes that differ in genetic and oncogenic potential (Muñoz et al., 2003). The oncogenic subtypes of HPV contributing to cervical carcinogenesis include HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68, and others (Muñoz et al., 2003). It has been shown that both adaptive and innate immune responses are involved in the clearance of HPV infection (Kobayashi et al., 2004; Frazer, 2007; Stanley, 2008; Peng et al., 2007). Spontaneous regression of HPV16-positive squamous intraepithelial lesions of the cervix has been accompanied by CD4+ T-cell responses against the viral E7 peptide (Peng et al., 2007). By contrast, in cervical tissue, the innate immune response acts against various viruses using the activation of toll-like receptors, as well as dendritic and natural killer (NK) cells (Wira et al., 2005; Manickam et al., 2007; Hasan et al., 2007). NK cells spearhead the defense against viral agents and play an elementary role in immunosurveillance against various cancers (Lanier et al., 2008; Waldhauer and Steinle, 2008). These cells are activated for the killing of cancer cells via complex interactions between various receptors, including natural killer group 2, member D (NKG2D), and ligands located on the surface of cancer cells (Sivori et al., 1997; Pessino et al., 1998; Pende et al., 1999; Wu et al., 1999; Moretta et al., 2006). The NKG2D receptor is a member of the C-type lectin family (Houchins et al., 1991). NKG2D is also involved in the adaptive immune response as a co-stimulatory receptor in CD8+ αβ T cells and is found on γδ T cells (Wu et al., 1999; Moretta et al., 2006; Houchins et al., 1991). The ligands of NKG2D encompass some of the cytomegalovirus UL16-binding proteins (ULBPs), and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-related chains A (MICA) and B (MICB) (Raulet, 2003; Bahram et al., 1994; Cosman et al., 2001; Chalupny et al., 2003; Bacon et al., 2004). Some studies have recently demonstrated a change in the number of NKG2D molecules on the surface of immune cells from patients with cervical cancer (Arreygue-Garcia et al., 2008; Garcia-Iglesias et al., 2009).

HPV infection alone is not sufficient for cervical tumorigenesis. The use of oral contraceptives, smoking, and genetic factors may also be involved in cervical tumor development (Castellsague et al., 2003; Magnusson et al., 2000). It has been reported that the G>A transition (Thr72Ala) (rs2255336) situated in the NKG2D region encoding the transmembrane part of this receptor may be associated with decreased functionality of NK and T cells (Kabalak et al., 2010; Hayashi et al., 2006). Therefore, we explored the genotype and allele frequencies of the NKG2D Thr72Ala polymorphism in patients with cervical cancer in a Polish population.

Patients and Methods

Patients and controls

The patient group consisted of three hundred fifty-three women with a histologically determined stage of cervical carcinoma according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Patient data were collected for patients seen between April 2007 and July 2011 at the Department of Radiotherapy, Greater Poland Cancer Center in Poznań, Poland (Table 1). Three hundred sixty-six unrelated healthy women volunteers, of a similar age to the patients, were used as controls (Table 1). Women with cervical cancer and controls were Caucasians, collected from the Wielkopolska area of Poland. All subjects involved in the study provided written informed consent. The study was approved by the local ethics committee of the Poznań University of Medical Sciences.

Table 1.

Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of Patients and Controls

Characteristic Patients (n=353) Controls (n=366)
aMean age±SD 49.7±10.4 48±9.9
 Tumor stage
  IA 51 (14.4%)  
  IB 54 (15.3%)  
  IIA 44 (12.5%)  
  IIB 51 (14.4%)  
  IIIA 74 (20.9%)  
  IIIB 61 (17.3%)  
  IVA 3 (0.8%)  
  IVB 15 (4.2%)  
 Histological grade
  G1 81 (22.9%)  
  G2 153 (43.3%)  
  G3 52 (14.7%)  
  Gx 67 (19.0%)  
Histological type
 Squamous Cell Carcinoma 331 (93.8%)  
 Adenocarcinoma 14 (3.9%)  
 Other 8 (2.3%)  
HPV genotypes
 16 and 18 225 (63.7%)  
 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39,45,51,52,56,58,59 and 68 353 (100%)  
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a

age at first diagnosis.

HPV, human papilloma virus.

Genotyping

DNA was isolated from peripheral leucocytes by employing a standard salting-out procedure. The NKG2D Thr72Ala (c.214A>G) (rs2255336) polymorphic variant was identified by the polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). PCR was performed employing the primer pair 5′ GAGGTATTTATGTTCTGTTCTGG 3′and 5′ TCTACTTCTCTGTTGTCACTTAC 3′. The PCR-amplified fragments of NKG2D that were 271bp in length were isolated and subjected to digestion by endonuclease MaeIII (/GTNAC) Roche Diagnostic GmbH, (Penzberg, Germany). The NKG2D 72Ala allele remained uncut, whereas the NKG2D 72Thr allele was cleaved into 217bp and 54bp fragments. The digestion products were separated by electrophoresis on 3% agarose gel. The NKG2D Thr72Ala polymorphism was confirmed by repeated PCR-RFLP and commercial sequencing analysis.

Statistical analysis

The distribution of genotypes in patients and controls was examined for deviation from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. The chi-squared (χ2) test or Fisher exact test was used to determine the differences in genotypic and allelic distribution between patients and controls, and a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. Moreover, the polymorphism was tested for association with cervical cancer incidence using the χ2-test for trend (ptrend). Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons was used, and both p-values, before (p) and after correction (pcorr), were determined. Power calculations for this study were performed using Quanto software (Gauderman WJ, Morrison JM. QUANTO 1.2: A computer program for power and sample size calculations for genetic-epidemiology studies, URL: http://hydra.usc.edu/gxe, 2006).

Results

Distribution of NKG2D Thr72Ala genotypes and alleles in women with cervical cancer in stage I, II, III, and IV

Analysis of the NKG2D Thr72Ala polymorphism did not reveal a significant deviation from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium in all women with cervical cancer and controls.

The frequency of the NKG2D Thr/Thr genotype in controls and all women with cervical cancer was 0.06 and 0.03, respectively (Table 2). The distribution of the heterozygous genotype frequency was approximately 1.2-fold higher in controls than in women with cervical cancer and was 0.31 and 0.27, respectively (Table 2). We observed an increased frequency of the Thr/Thr genotype in controls as compared with all patients with cervical cancer; however, these differences were not significant (OR=0.5029 [95% CI=0.2401–1.053, p=0.0637]). There was also an increased frequency of the Thr/Thr and Thr/Ala genotypes in controls compared with all patients, but these differences were also not significant (OR=0.7531 [95% CI=0.5517–1.028, p=0.0736]) (Table 2). We found a significantly higher frequency of the NKG2D 72Thr allele in controls than in patients (OR=0.7410 [95% CI=0.5683–0.9662, p=0.0265]) (Table 2). The p-value of the χ2-test for the trend observed for the NKG2D Thr72Ala polymorphism was also statistically significant (ptrend=0.0313). Moreover, we observed a statistical difference in the genotype distribution between patients with different tumor stage p=0.0038 (pcorr=0.0076) (Table 3). A power analysis of this patient group predicted sufficient power to detect an association of the NKG2D Thr72Ala polymorphism with a genetic effect of 0.5 or less for the Thr/Thr and Ala/Thr vs Ala/Ala genotypes or a genetic effect of 0.1 and less for the Thr/Thr vs Thr/Ala and Ala/Ala genotypes (Table 4).

Table 2.

Prevalence of NKG2D Thr72Ala Polymorphisms Among Patients with Cervical Cancer and Healthy Individuals

  Genotype distribution (frequency) Minor allele frequency Odds Ratio (95% CI) p ptrend
n Ala/Ala Ala/Thr Thr/Thr        
Controls n=366 232 (0.63) 112 (0.31) 22 (0.06) 0.21      
Cervical cancer in stage I, II, III and IV n=353 246 (0.70) 96 (0.27) 11 (0.03) 0.17 0.5029 (0.2401–1.053)a 0.0637d 0.0313
          0.7531 (0.5517–1.028)b 0.0736d  
          0.7410 (0.5683–0.9662)c 0.0265d  
Cervical cancer in stage III and IV n=155 123 (0.79) 29 (0.19) (0.02) 0.11 0.3086 (0.09097–1.047)a 0.0461e 0.0003
          0.4504 (0.2891–0.7018)b 0.0003d  
          0.4699 (0.3170–0.6967) c 0.0001d  
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The Odds Ratio (OR) was calculated for patients a(Thr/Thr genotype vs Ala/Thr and Ala/Ala enotypes).

b

(Thr/Thr and Ala/Thr genotype vs Ala/Ala genotype). We also determined the OR for the risk allele.

c

(Thr vs Ala allele).

d

uncorrected Chi2.

e

Fisher exact test.

CI, confidence interval.

Table 3.

Prevalence of NKG2D Thr72Ala Genotypes Differentiated by Patient Tumor Stage and Histological Grade

 
 Tumor stage
 Histological grade
  I II III IV G1 G2 G3
NKG2D Thr72Ala
Ala/Ala 70 53 110 13 48 116 39
Ala/Thr 29 38 25 4 30 33 11
Thr/Thr 6 2 2 1 3 4 2
        p=0.0038 (pcorr=0.0076)     p=0.0940
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Data are presented as number of patients; p-values represent the significance of genotype distribution between tumor characteristics and were determined by the chi-squared test.

Table 4.

Power Analysis

 
 Genetic model
Genetic effect Thr/Thr vs Ala/Thr and Ala/Ala Thr/Thr and Thr/Ala vs Ala/Ala
Cervical cancer in stage I, II, III, and IV (n=353)
 0.1 0.9599 0.9999
 0.3 0.7089 0.9999
 0.5 0.3706 0.9885
 0.7 0.1480 0.6159
 0.9 0.0592 0.1043
Cervical cancer in stage III and IV (n=155)
 0.1 0.7832 0.9999
 0.3 0.4732 0.9995
 0.5 0.2376 0.9047
 0.7 0.1074 0.4165
 0.9 0.0556 0.0826
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Power analysis was conducted with the following parameters: allele frequency 0.21, disease population frequency 0.018, and significance level 0.05, two-sided.

Distribution of NKG2D Thr72Ala genotypes and alleles in women with cervical cancer in stage III and IV

The prevalence of the homozygous Thr/Thr genotype was approximately threefold higher in controls than in women with cervical cancer in stage III and IV (Table 2). The frequency of the NKG2D Thr/Ala heterozygous genotype in women with cervical cancer in stage III and IV was 0.19 (Table 2). We found a significantly increased frequency of the Thr/Thr genotype in controls compared with patients with cervical cancer in stage III and IV (OR=0.3086 [95% CI=0.09097–1.047, p=0.0461]). There was also a statistically increased frequency of the Thr/Thr and Thr/Ala genotypes in controls compared with these patients (OR=0.4504 [95% CI=0.2891–0.7018, p=0.0003]) (Table 2). We also observed a significantly higher frequency of the NKG2D 72Thr allele in controls than in this patient group [OR=0.4699 (95% CI=0.3170–0.6967, p=0.0001) (Table 2)]. The p-value of the χ2-test for the trend observed for the NKG2D Thr72Ala polymorphism was also statistically significant (ptrend=0.0003).

A power analysis of this patient group predicted sufficient power to detect an association of the NKG2D Thr72Ala polymorphism with a genetic effect of 0.5 or less for the Thr/Thr and Thr/Ala vs Ala/Ala genotypes but not for the Thr/Thr vs Ala/Thr and Ala/Ala genotypes (Table 4).

Discussion

NKG2D is one of the best recognized activating receptors of the NK cells that interacts with MICA, MICB, or the ULBPs to possibly trigger the killing of malignant cells (Diefenbach et al., Nature 2001; Pende et al., 2002; Carbone et al., 2005). The down-regulation of NKG2D in NK and T cells by metalloprotease-mediated release of MICA and MICB ligands from the cell surface has been demonstrated in various cancers (Jinushi et al., 2005; Holdenrieder et al., 2006; Salih et al., 2006; Groh et al., 2002). The activating ligands of NKG2D were also differentially expressed during the progression to cervical cancer (Textor et al., 2008). Arreygue-Garcia et al. (2008) have reported a reduced number of NKG2D receptors on the surface of NK and T cells in women with both cervical cancer and CIN (Arreygue-Garcia et al., 2008). Moreover, in patients with cervical cancer, the down-regulation of NKG2D was linked to low NK cell activity along with increased HPV16 infection and cervical tumor progression (Garcia-Iglesias et al., 2009).

We observed a statistically significant trend for the NKG2D Thr72Ala polymorphism in all patients with cervical cancer. Moreover, our study showed statistically significant differences in genotype distribution between patients with different tumor stages. Specifically, we found a statistically significant lower frequency of the NKG2D 72Thr gene variant in women with cervical cancer in stage III and IV as compared with healthy women.

This suggests that the NKG2D 72Thr gene variant may protect against cervical tumor progression by modulating cytotoxic T and NK cells. Hayashi et al. (2006) demonstrated that cancer patients having the NKG2D Ala/Ala genotype displayed decreased cytotoxicity of NK cells (Hayashi et al., 2006). Moreover, Kabalak et al. (2010) used anti-CD3 and anti-NKG2D antibodies to demonstrate decreased proliferation of peripheral blood lymphocytes bearing the NKG2D 72Ala/Ala genotype than lymphocytes with the NKG2D 72Thr gene variant (Kabalak et al., 2010). They also demonstrated that the NKG2D 72Thr gene variant could be a protective factor in the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (Kabalak et al., 2010).

The NKG2D Thr72Ala substitution is situated close to the transmembrane arginine at position 66, which binds via hydrogen bonds with the DAP10 adapter molecule (Garrity et al., 2005). The placement of this substitution may produce altered intracellular signals after ligand binding to the NKG2D molecule. A possible role of DAP10 adapter molecule levels in the modulation of NK cytotoxicity in cancer patients has also been reported (Hyka-Nouspikel and Phillips, 2006). Hyka-Nouspikel et al. (2007), using the murine model, reported that DAP10 signaling is involved in adjustments in the activation threshold controlling host immunity against tumors (Hyka-Nouspikel et al., 2007). Recently, Lee et al. (2011) demonstrated that reduced NK cytotoxicity in cancer patients due to down-regulation of surface NKG2D resulted from reduced levels of DAP10 molecules (Lee et al., 2011).

Our study may suggest that cervical cancer patients bearing the NKG2D 72Thr gene variant might be protected against the progression to advanced stages of this cancer. However, to confirm the role of the NKG2D Thr72Ala polymorphism in cervical cancer, this study should be replicated in a larger and independent cohort, and functional studies should be conducted on this polymorphism.

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grant No 502-01-01124182-07474, Poznań University of Medical Sciences. The technical assistance of Monika Świerczewska is gratefully acknowledged.

Author Disclosure Statement

None of the authors have any financial or other conflicts of interest to disclose. In addition, all authors have seen and approved the final version of this article for submission.

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