据10月1日刊JAMA上的一则研究披露，某种由脂肪细胞分泌的蛋白质激素的基因变异与结肠直肠癌风险的减少有关联。
根据文章的背景资料，有数项研究已经显示了在肥胖症与结肠直肠癌风险之间具有相关性。脂联素（Adiponectin）是一种由脂肪组织分泌的激素，而血清中脂联素的水平与肥胖症和胰岛素的高浓度呈反向相关。文章的作者写道：“尽管有证据显示，循环中的脂联素浓度与结肠直肠癌风险之间存在相关性，但是有关脂联素通路和结肠直肠癌的基因之间的关联性目前则尚无报导 。”
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago的Virginia G. Kaklamani, M.D., D.Sc.及其同僚开展了一项研究，旨在确定脂联素（ADIPOQ）和脂联素受体 1（ADIPOR1）的基因变异与结肠直肠癌风险之间的相关性。该项研究由2个病例对照研究所组成，其中包括被诊断患有结肠直肠癌的病人组和没有结肠直肠癌的对照组。病例对照研究-1包括总数441名结肠直肠癌患者的小组和658名没有该癌症的对照组；这2组人都有Ashkenazi Jewish血统，他们都来自纽约。病例对照研究-2包括来自芝加哥的199名结肠直肠癌患者和199名的对照组人士，他们在性别、年龄和种族上的比例皆为1:1。
研究人员写道：“在这一基于临床的病例对照分析中，我们发现，在2个单独的病例对照研究中以及在进行了年龄、性别和其它SNPs校正之后的对这2项研究进行合并后的分析中，ADIPOQ 基因 (rs266729)中的一种单核苷酸多态性 [SNP; 这是一种基因变异 ] 与结肠直肠癌风险之间存在着一种相关性。”
他们补充说，这些发现提示ADIPOQ 基因可能容纳有容易改变结肠直肠癌风险的SNPs/突变。 “如果这些令人兴奋的结果能够在其它的研究中获得证实的话，脂联素轴心可能会成为结肠直肠癌风险的一种重要的调节因子。人们需要在未来从事有关脂联素的可能的影响及其SNPs在结肠直肠癌预后中的研究，并且还可以将其并入该疾病的遗传风险模型之中。”（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
JAMA. 2008;300(13):1523-1531.
Variants of the Adiponectin (ADIPOQ) and Adiponectin Receptor 1 (ADIPOR1) Genes and Colorectal Cancer Risk
Virginia G. Kaklamani; Kari B. Wisinski; Maureen Sadim; Cassandra Gulden; Albert Do; Kenneth Offit; John A. Baron; Habibul Ahsan; Christos Mantzoros; Boris Pasche
Context Current epidemiological evidence suggests an association between obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and colorectal cancer risk. Adiponectin is a hormone secreted by the adipose tissue, and serum levels are inversely correlated with obesity and hyperinsulinemia. While there is evidence of an association between circulating adiponectin levels and colorectal cancer risk, no association between genes of the adiponectin pathway and colorectal cancer have been reported to date.
Objective To determine the association of 10 haplotype-tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the adiponectin (ADIPOQ) and adiponectin receptor 1 (ADIPOR1) genes with colorectal cancer risk.
Design, Setting, and Patients Two case-control studies including patients with a diagnosis of colorectal cancer and controls were recruited between 2000 and 2007. Case-control study 1 included a total of 441 patients with a diagnosis of colorectal cancer and 658 controls; both groups were of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry and from New York, New York. Case-control study 2 included 199 patients with a diagnosis of colorectal cancer and 199 controls from Chicago, Illinois, matched 1:1 for sex, age, and ethnicity.
Main Outcome Measures ADIPOQ and ADIPOR1 SNP frequency among cases and controls.
Results In study 1, after adjustment for age, sex, and SNPs from the same gene, 3 ADIPOQ SNPs and 1 ADIPOR1 SNP were associated with colorectal cancer risk: rs266729 (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55-0.95) and rs822396 (AOR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.14-1.00) were associated with decreased risk whereas rs822395 (AOR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.09-2.84) and rs1342387 (AOR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.18-2.72) were associated with increased risk. In study 2, after adjustment for age, sex, race, and SNPs from the same gene, the ADIPOQ SNP rs266729 was associated with a decreased colorectal cancer risk of similar magnitude as in study 1 (AOR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.34-0.78). Combined analysis of both studies shows an association of rs266729 with decreased colorectal cancer risk (AOR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.53-0.99).
Conclusion The SNP rs266729, which tags the 5' flanking region of the ADIPOQ gene, is associated with decreased colorectal cancer risk.
