Candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with arsenic-induced Bowen's disease in Taiwan - A pilot study

Arsenic-induced skin cancer may be considered a long-term biomarker of cumulative arsenic exposure. Therefore, we conducted a genome-wide screening to discover novel genes associated with chronic arsenic-induced skin cancers in Taiwan. We included 83 patients with skin cancer and 83 age-, gender - and arsenic exposure level-matched subjects were selected as controls. Then, we conducted a case-control study consisting of 144 skin cancer patients and 631 cancer-free controls for replicating the candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified from the genome-wide screening. In a genome-wide screening, we selected four top genes including SYN3(synapsin III), LOXL1(Lysyl Oxidase- Like1), AUH (Au-Specific RNA-binding Protein) and SEC24D (an essential coat protein II) for genotyping. Two SNPs (SYN3 rs137537 G/T and SEC24D rs13127508 G/A) were significantly associated with the risk of skin cancer. In this pilot study, we identify two novel genes including SYN3 and SEC24D which were significantly associated with arsenic-associated skin cancers in Taiwan.