AID polymorphism

A recent study suggested that one third of cancer-causing mutations are attributed to external etiologies with the remaining two thrirds are due to endogenous factors (*1). Authors regard that cancer prevention cannot be perfect only by evading external factors including chemicals, UV light, and ionizing radiation, emphasizing importance of early detection. However, we think that some of endogenous factors can be worked out, Endogenous factors include DNA replication error and DNA base modification by AID / APOBEC nucleic-acid editing enzymes. While it may be difficult to tackle replicative errors, suppression of mutations by mutagenic enzymes may be possible. In this project, by showing correlation between genetic polymorphisms of AID / APOBEC family and cancer predisposition, we prove that AID is involved in human cancer. In the future, we would like to challenge cancer prevention by AID inhibitors.

As AID is an enzyme for antibody gene diversification, it may be involved in immune disorders, including pollen disease, atopic dermatitis, and autoimmune diseases. We clarifiy association between AID polymophism and immune disorders, prospecting prevention of immune diseases.

*1 C. Tomasetti, L. Li, B. Vogelstein, Stem cell divisions, somatic mutations, cancer etiology, and cancer prevention. Science 355, 1330-1334 (2017). [PUBMED]