Demetrius Albanes

NCI, DCEG, NEB

PLCO (Learn more about this study)

2010-0069

Apr 22, 2010

Genetic Determinants (including from GWAS) of Serum Micronutrient Concentrations

We are examining genome-wide predictors of nutrient biochemical status (e.g., 25-hydroxy-vitamin D, tocopherols, retinol, cholesterol, beta-carotene and lycopene) in the ATBC Study, and have planned to added similar data from PLCO based on previously approved, pre-PLCO STaRS system proposals including the BPC3 Biochemical Set (serum nutrient concentrations) and VAA-002/3 (Gene Predictors of Serum Nutrients). Results from the ATBC study will be pooled with PLCO, and if ERP collaborators are willing to combine data, used for meta-analysis with other studies such as the Nurses' Health Study. Rationale for this project includes data supporting heritable components to serum nutrient levels, with these biochemical phenotypes having been related to cancer and other chronic disease risk. The genetic basis for these serum micronutrient phenotypes is, however, complex and not well understood, although candidate gene and linkage studies have identified a limited number of genetic polymorphisms that account for some of the population variance. This project will afford capture of additional genetic markers through the inherent agnostic GWAS approach, is cost-effective in that both the genome-wide scan and serologic markers are already analyzed, and other covariate data have been assembled for the original project. The investigation will improve our understanding of the determinants of these nutrient and dietary exposures and their associations with cancer etiology.