Original ArticlePolymorphisms and haplotypes of the CYP2B6 detoxification gene in the predisposition of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and induction of its cytogenetic abnormalities

CYP2B6 is a polymorphic detoxification gene which plays a vital role in the degradation of genotoxic compounds. In this study we hypothesized that inadequate detoxification due to CYP2B6 polymorphisms may contribute to AML. To evaluate the potential impact of CYP2B6 polymorphisms on AML development and induction of its specific chromosomal abnormalities we studied C777A and A785G polymorphisms for the first time in AML. Furthermore, we investigated the co-existence of the above polymorphisms with G516T polymorphism to determine the CYP2B6 high-risk haplotypes in AML susceptibility. Our study included 619 AML patients and 430 healthy donors. Concerning C777A CYP2B6 polymorphism, no significant difference was found between patients and controls. However, A785G CYP2B6 polymorphism showed a statistically higher frequency of the variant genotypes in patients (48.2%), mainly in secondary AML patients (49.1%) than in controls (26.1%). Moreover, an increased frequency of the variant genotypes was found in those with abnormal karyotypes, especially with −7/del(7q), −5/del(5q), +8, inv(16) and t(8;21). The combination of the three CYP2B6 polymorphisms (G516T, C777A & A785G) revealed seven haplotypes. Four out of six haplotypes with at least one mutant allele were significantly associated with an increased risk for AML. Interestingly, T516A777G785 haplotype, where the three mutant alleles co-existed, had ~3-fold increased risk to be found in patients than controls. The association between haplotypes and cytogenetic aberrations revealed a positive correlation between specific CYP2B6 haplotypes and AML cytogenetic abnormalities. Our data suggest that A785G CYP2B6 gene polymorphism and specific CYP2B6 haplotypes may contribute to AML and its specific chromosomal aberrations.