Functional variations in the JWA gene are associated with increased odds of leukemias

The association between the −76G > C in the 5′-flanking region and 723T > G in JWA exon three variants were examined for risk of leukemia development in a hospital-based case-control study of 201 leukemia patients and 243 cancer-free controls in a Chinese population. Studies showed that the −76C allele was associated with significantly increased odds of leukemia but the 723G allele was correlated with marked decreased odds of leukemia. Variation in the −76C allele resulted in almost complete loss of oxidative stress stimulated transcription activities of the promoter fragment.