The Influence of Gene-Gene and Gene-Environment Interactions on the Risk of Asbestosis

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions on the risk of developing asbestosis. The study comprised 262 cases with asbestosis and 265 controls with no asbestos-related disease previously studied forMnSOD,ECSOD,CAT,GSTT1,GSTM1,GSTP1, andiNOSpolymorphisms. Data on cumulative asbestos and smoking were available for all subjects. To assess gene-gene and gene-environmental interactions, logistic regression was used. The associations betweenMnSODAla −9Val polymorphism and the risk of asbestosis and betweeniNOSgenotypes and asbestosis were modified byCAT–262 C > T polymorphism (P=0.038;P=0.031). A strong interaction was found betweenGSTM1-null polymorphism and smoking (P=0.007),iNOS(CCTTT)npolymorphism and smoking (P=0.054), and betweeniNOS(CCTTT)npolymorphism and cumulative asbestos exposure (P=0.037). The findings of this study suggest that the interactions between different genotypes, genotypes and smoking, and between genotypes and asbestos exposure have an important influence on the development of asbestosis and should be seriously considered in future research on occupational/environmental asbestos-related diseases.