Investigation of CDH1 germline mutations in Turkish patients with Kaposi’s sarcoma

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) develops from the lining cells of blood or lymphatic vessels and may appear as red, purple, brown, or black lesions. E-cadherin, CDH1, is a cell adhesion molecule located on the surface of epithelial cells. CDH1 gene expression is downregulated in several cancers and is considered a tumor suppressor gene involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition in carcinomas. Loss of CDH1 gene expression is observed in many carcinomas, mainly diffuse gastric carcinomas and lobular breast carcinomas, as well as skin tumors. This study investigates the CDH1 germline mutations in HIV-negative (Human Immunodeficiency) Virus KS patients in the Turkish population. Methods The study examined 25 peripheral blood mononuclear cells from KS patients using the Sanger sequencing technique. Results Sixteen exons of the CDH1 gene were sequenced, and a pathogenic functional germline mutation, HET c.2245C > T, p.(Arg749Trp) rs776975632, NM _004360.5, was identified in a patient with a family history of gastric and breast cancer with a high number of lesions compared to other KS patients. Discussion: KS patients with a family history of cancer could be screened for CDH1 gene and cancer-related-gen variants in the future. Conclusions KS is a rare malignancy, and genetic analysis will benefit KS patients. Further studies are needed to describe better the variations detected in a large number of KS patients in this study.