Genetically regulated expression underlies cellular sensitivity to chemotherapy in diverse populations. Journal Article

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Authors: Mulford, AJ; Wing, C; Dolan, ME; Wheeler, HE
Article Title: Genetically regulated expression underlies cellular sensitivity to chemotherapy in diverse populations.
Abstract: Most cancer chemotherapeutic agents are ineffective in a subset of patients, thus it is important to consider the role of genetic variation in drug response. Lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) in 1000 Genomes Project populations of diverse ancestries are a useful model for determining how genetic factors impact variation in cytotoxicity. In our study, LCLs from three 1000 Genomes Project populations of diverse ancestries were previously treated with increasing concentrations of eight chemotherapeutic drugs and cell growth inhibition was measured at each dose with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) or area under the dose-response curve (AUC) as our phenotype for each drug. We conducted both genome-wide (GWAS) and transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) within and across ancestral populations. We identified four unique loci in GWAS and three genes in TWAS significantly associated with chemotherapy-induced cytotoxicity within and across ancestral populations. For etoposide, increased STARD5 predicted expression associated with decreased etoposide IC50 (p?=?8.5 x 10-8). Functional studies in A549, a lung cancer cell line, revealed that knockdown of STARD5 expression resulted in decreased sensitivity to etoposide following exposure for 72 (p?=?0.033) and 96 hours (p?=?0.0001). By identifying loci and genes associated with cytotoxicity across ancestral populations, we strive to understand the genetic factors impacting the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs and to contribute to the development of future cancer treatment.
Journal Title: Human molecular genetics
ISSN: 1460-2083; 0964-6906
Publisher: Unknown  
Date Published: 2021