Bi-directional PCR allele-specific amplification (bi-PASA) for detection of caspase-8 − 652 6N ins/del promoter polymorphism (rs3834129) in breast cancer

Caspase-8 (CASP8) plays a critical role in regulating apoptosis, and its functional polymorphisms may modify cancer risk. We investigated the possible association between CASP8 − 652 6N ins/del (rs3834129) and the risk of breast cancer in a sample of Iranian population. This case–control study was done on 236 breast cancer patients and 203 cancer free healthy female. We designed a rapid and simple bi-directional PCR allele-specific amplification (bi-PASA) for detection of CASP8 − 652 6N ins/del polymorphism. The results showed that the CASP8 − 652 6N del/dl genotype was inversely associated with breast cancer risk (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.17–0.65, p = 0.001). The frequencies of the del allele in cases and controls were 29.1% and 38.6%, respectively. An inverse association between CASP8 6N del variant and the risk of breast cancer (OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.66–0.87, p = 0.002) was found.In conclusion, the result suggests that the CASP8 − 652 6N del polymorphism plays a protective role in susceptibility to breast cancer in our population. Further studies in other populations with larger samples are needed to confirm these findings.

► CASP8 − 652 6N ins/del was evaluated in breast cancer patients.
► We designed a rapid and simple bi-PASA for detection of CASP8 6N deletion.
► Casp8 6N ins/del polymorphism was genotyped by bi-PASA method.
► Inverse association between CASP8 -6N del variant and breast cancer risk was found.