The MDM2 Promoter SNP285C/309G Haplotype Diminishes Sp1 Transcription Factor Binding and Reduces Risk for Breast and Ovarian Cancer in Caucasians

SummaryMDM2 plays a key role in modulating p53 function. The MDM2 SNP309T > G promoter polymorphism enhances Sp1 binding and has been linked to cancer risk and young age at diagnosis although with conflicting evidence. We report a second MDM2 promoter polymorphism, SNP285G > C, residing on the SNP309G allele. SNP285C occurs in Caucasians only, where 7.7% (95% CI 7.6%–7.8%) of healthy individuals carry the SNP285C/309G haplotype. In vitro analyses reveals that SNP309G enhances but SNP285C strongly reduces Sp1 promoter binding. Comparing MDM2 promoter status among different cohorts of ovarian (n = 1993) and breast (n = 1973) cancer patients versus healthy controls (n = 3646), SNP285C reduced the risk of both ovarian (OR 0.74; CI 0.58–0.94) and breast cancer (OR 0.79; CI 0.62–1.00) among SNP309G carriers.

► SNP285C diminishes Sp1 transcription factor binding to the MDM2 promoter
► SNP285C reduces breast cancer risk
► SNP285C reduces ovarian cancer risk
► SNP285C is only observed in Caucasians