Determination of ApaI and TaqI Polymorphisms of VDR Gene in a Group of Turkish Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of cancer death among human around the world. The vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) is a member of the nuclear receptor super family, which is expressed in the tissue of gastrointestinal tract, known to modulate the rate of cell proliferation. We aimed to investigate the genotype and allele frequencies and association of the VDR gene: c.1025-49G>T (ApaIG>T) and c.1056T>C (TaqIT>C) polymorphisms with CRC in Turkish patients. Fifty-six patients with CRC and 169 healthy individuals were enrolled to study, and their DNA was isolated. A polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique was used to detect the frequency of c.1025-49G>T and c.1056T>C polymorphisms. The prevalence of the c.1025-49G>T and c.1056T>C alleles and the genotype frequencies in patients with CRC was similar to that in the normal population. The investigated polymorphisms in the VDR gene do not represent I significant risk factor for CRC in our population