Association of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism with Arsenic-induced Skin Lesions and Genetic Damage in Exposed Population of West Bengal, India

Long term consumption of arsenic contaminated water causes a number of dermatological and non-dermatological health problems and cancer. In a Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) on Bangladesh population, a significant association of asingle nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the C10orf32 region (rs 9527; G>A) with urinary metabolites and arsenic induced skin lesions was reported. This study aims to evaluate the association of the C10orf32 G to A polymorphism (rs9527), concerned with As3MT read-through transcription, with the development of arsenic induced skin lesions in the arsenic exposed individuals of West Bengal, India. A total of 157 individuals with characteristic skin lesions (cases) and 158 individuals without any skin lesion (controls) were recruited for this study. The G>A polymorphism (rs9527) having at least one minor allele 'A' was found to be significantly higher in cases compared to controls, implying increased risk toward the development of skin lesions. The risk genotype was also found to be significantly associated with cytogenetic damage as measured by chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei formation in lymphocytes. Hence, it can be concluded that G>A change in the C10orf32 region plays an important role in arsenic induced toxicity and susceptibility.