Association Between Acromegaly and a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (rs2854744) in the IGFBP3 Gene

Background: It has been reported that the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2854744 at the - 202 locus of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP3) is associated with serum levels and a number of malignancies. However, the effect of IGFBP3 gene polymorphism on acromegaly is less clear. Therefore, in the current study, we aimed to investigate whether the -202A/C polymorphism of IGFBP3 constitutes a risk factor for acromegaly.

Methods: The study included 102 acromegalic patients and 143 control subjects in Beijing Tiantan Hospital. The genotyping of IGFBP3 was carried out using the MassARRAY method. Serum IGFBP3 concentrations were also determined. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the associations of genetic polymorphisms with the development of acromegaly and its different subtypes.

Results: The study revealed that the C allele of rs2854744 was associated with a reduced risk of acromegaly (OR 0.594, 95% CI 0.388-0.909), as well as with the female (OR 0.385, 95% CI 0.206-0.72), macroadenoma (OR 0.557, 95% CI 0.347-0.893) and monotherapy (OR 0.512, 95% CI 0.316-0.828) subgroups under the additive model. A higher serum IGFBP3 level was observed in patients with the AA genotype, but this difference was not significant (P = 0.331).

Conclusion: This study is one of the first to show that the IGFBP3 polymorphism may have an influence on serum levels and that the C allele of rs2854744 is associated with a reduced risk of acromegaly. This correlation was more prominent in females, those with large tumours and those treated with monotherapy in a Chinese population. Genetic polymorphism of IGFBP3 may be involved in the development of acromegaly.