No description available.

PrediXcan, an imputed gene expression-trait association method, was compared to multiple linear regressions (MLR) of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using the quantitative phenotypes serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and triglycerides (TG). The gene expression prediction models were trained using transcriptome- and genome-wide data from Depression Genes and Networks (DGN whole blood) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) Project (GTEx whole blood, GTEx pancreas and GTEx liver). Linear combinations of the effect sizes derived using elastic net or least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) with genotypes from 1304 European patients from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) were used to estimate the genetically regulated expression (GReX) for genes. Different gene expression predictors were present in each training set. The 10-fold cross-validated predictive performance, estimated GReX, and p values from associations for matched genes were weakly correlated across training sets and strongly correlated for models derived using elastic net and LASSO. MLR models had more significant associations than PrediXcan models and larger inflation factors for p values. A comparison of p values for matched genes between PrediXcan and MLR models showed weak correlations but strong evidence for LDL and HDL associations with genes at locus 1p13.3 and 16q13, respectively. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) is the most common member of the viral genus Potyvirus to infect soybeans (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) worldwide. SMV has been traditionally controlled by the deployment of single dominant, strain specific resistance genes, referred to as Rsv genes. Rsv1 is the most widely used form of SMV resistance with nine different alleles conferring resistance only to the lower numbered less virulent strains, G1 to G3. Rsv3 gives resistance to higher numbered more virulent strains G5 to G7. Soybean lines containing Rsv4, are resistant to all seven currently recognized North American SMV strains. In this study, the recently released soybean whole genome sequence was used to design molecular markers for fine mapping Rsv3 to a ~150 kb genomic region containing four coiled-coil nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat proteins. In a related study a large population segregating at the Rsv3 locus was screened for resistance to facilitate future characterization of this region. The markers identified in this study will allow for more accurate marker-assisted selection of Rsv3. / Master of Science

No description available.

Caligid copepods, also called sea lice, are ectoparasites of marine fish, with Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer, 1837) emerging as a problem for mariculture of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758) in the northern hemisphere. Annual costs of sea lice to global salmon farming was estimated to be in excess of €300 million in 2006, with the majority of this accounted for through expenses accrued from chemical treatments. Only a limited range of anti-sea louse drugs are available and licensed for the treatment of fish, and the continued use of only a few compounds creates a situation potentially favouring the development of drug resistance. Emamectin benzoate (EMB) is currently used as a salmon delousing agent, being employed as a 0.2 % in-feed pre-mix (SLICE®). Atlantic salmon farmers have reported increased incidence of reduced L. salmonis sensitivity to SLICE®, which has highlighted the requirement for further research into the molecular mechanisms controlling salmon louse resistance to EMB. Genomic and transcriptomic research concerning L. salmonis drug resistance mechanisms has not often been reported, with previous transcriptomic studies using candidate gene approaches and genetic studies focussing on population genetics. Drug resistance in ecdysozoan invertebrates is associated with a variety of molecular mechanisms including target site mutations and changes in the expression of components in drug detoxification pathways. The research reported in this thesis was aimed at the exploration of mechanisms employed by L. salmonis to reduce the toxicity of EMB exposure, following a transcriptomic approach that utilised custom oligonucleotide (oligo) microarrays and a genetic approach that utilised Restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) to identify Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers. An EMB-resistant (PT) and drug-susceptible (S) L. salmonis laboratory-maintained strain were to be used as a model for this research, as these two strains differ in EMB susceptibility (~ 7-fold) and show stable susceptibility profiles through multiple generations, suggesting that this drug resistance phenotype may be a heritable trait. Sequence resources available for salmon lice are limited as an annotated L. salmonis genome is currently under construction. Therefore, a significant amount of this study involved creating new resources to facilitate the analysis of EMB susceptibility. Suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH) was used to enrich for transcripts that were differentially expressed between strains PT and S, which provided sufficient target sequence for the development of 15K oligo microarrays when combined with sequences assembled from existing L. salmonis ESTs. Additionally, transcripts were generated through sequencing a pooled sample representing key developmental stages of the L. salmonis life cycle, which were later used in the construction of a 44K oligo microarray. The toxicity of EMB and other avermectins (AVMs) against ecdysozoan invertebrates is reported to be based mainly on their interaction with ligand-gated ion channels (LGIC), specifically glutamate-gated chloride channels (GluCl). However, -aminobutyric acid (GABA)-gated chloride channels (GABA-Cls) are also believed to be targeted by AVMs and neuronal acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) can be allosterically modulated by the AVM compound ivermectin. Transcriptional responses in PT and S salmon lice were investigated using custom 15K L. salmonis oligo microarrays. In the absence of EMB exposure, 359 targets differed in transcript abundance between the two strains. GABA-Cl and nAChR subunits showed significantly lower transcript levels in PT compared to S lice, which was estimated at ~1.4-fold for GABA-Cl and ~2.8-fold for nAChR using RT-qPCR, suggesting their involvement in AVM toxicity in caligids. Although, salmon lice from the PT strain showed few transcriptional responses following acute exposure (1 or 3 h) to 200 µg L-1 of EMB, a drug concentration tolerated by PT lice, but toxic for S lice. RAD-seq analysis of both genders from L. salmonis strains S and PT identified 15 RAD-markers that show complete association with salmon louse strain, although these preliminary results will need further analysis to confirm marker association with reduced EMB susceptibility. Additionally, RAD marker Lsa101901 showed complete association with sex for all individuals analysed, being heterozygous in females and homozygous in males. Using an allele-specific PCR assay, this SNP association pattern was further confirmed for three unrelated salmon louse strains. Marker Lsa101901 was located in the coding region of the prohibitin-2 gene, which showed a sex-dependent differential expression, with mRNA levels determined by RT-qPCR about 1.8-fold higher in adult female than adult male salmon lice. In conclusion, the identification of decreased transcript abundances for LGIC subunits in EMB-resistant salmon lice, and polymorphic SNP markers showing complete association with L. salmonis strains S or PT, provides suitable candidates for further investigation into their association with reduced EMB susceptibility. Further analysis will also be required to confirm whether EMB-induced mechanisms are not associated with reduced EMB susceptibility in L. salmonis. Additionally, the identification of sex-linked SNP Lsa101901 suggests that sex determination in the salmon louse is genetic and follows a female heterozygous system, with marker Lsa101901 providing a tool to determine the genetic sex of salmon lice. Improved knowledge of L. salmonis biology and the mechanisms potentially involved in EMB resistance, obtained during this study, may provide molecular markers that contribute to successful monitoring and management of this commercially important parasite of Atlantic salmon.

Neben chemotherapeutischen und chirurgischen Maßnahmen ist die Bestrahlung integraler Bestandteil multimodaler Therapiekonzepte bei malignen Tumorerkrankungen. In diesem Zusammenhang spielt der Einblick in physiologische und pathophysiologische Abläufe in menschlichen Zellen und auf molekularer Ebene  eine zunehmende Rolle. Auf diese Weise werden komplexe Stoffwechselwege mit ihren unterschiedlichen Funktionen und ihren aus einzelnen Proteinen bestehenden Komponenten immer besser verstanden. Allerdings entstehen durch die Kenntnis dieser Stoffwechselwege neue Fragen, die Gegenstand medizinischer Forschung sind.  Der TGFβ-Signalweg ist ein wesentlicher intrazellulärer Signalweg, der neben zahlreichen anderen Funktionen einen Einfluss auf die Entstehung bestimmter Tumorerkrankungen hat. Eine Vielzahl an Einzelnukleotid-Polymorphismen (single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNP) ist bekannt sowie die Erkenntnis darüber, dass die Anwesenheit von verschiedenen Varianten eines SNP einen Einfluss auf die Zellvitalität hat je nach Behandlungsbedingung. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es den Einfluss von Keimbahn-Polymorphismen in Genen des TGFβ-Signalwegs und der DNA-Reparatur auf die Strahlenempfindlichkeit lymphoblastoider Zellen zu untersuchen. Hierzu wurden 54 käuflich erworbene lymphoblastoide Zellen angezüchtet. Jede dieser Zelllinien wurde sechs parallelen Behandlungsbedingungen unterworfen. Neben der unbehandelten Kontrolle und einer mit anti-TGFβ behandelten Kontrolle wurden Zellen einer alleinigen Bestrahlung mit 3 Gy ausgesetzt. Darüber hinaus wurden Zellen 16 Stunden vor der Bestrahlung mit TGFβ1 oder anti-TGFβ vorinkubiert oder unmittelbar nach der Bestrahlung mit TGFβ1 behandelt.  Nach Ablauf einer 24-stündigen Inkubationszeit erfolgte die Zellvitalitätsmessung mittels FACS (fluorescence activated cell sorting)–Analyse. Die Ergebnisse wurden mit Daten von insgesamt 1656 polymorphen Positionen (aus HapMap Datenbank) aus 21 Kandidatengenen korreliert. Auf diese Weise sollte der Einfluss dieser Polymorphismen auf die Zellvitalität ermittelt werden. Sowohl bei SMAD3 als auch bei SMAD7 fanden sich jeweils 2 SNP, die ein perfektes bzw hohes Kopplungsungleichgewicht (linkage disequilibrium) aufwiesen. Insgesamt waren zwölf Polymorphismen aus acht Genen (TGFBR1, SMAD2, SMAD3, SMAD7, BRCA2, MSH2, MSH6 und XRCC1) mit signifikanten Veränderungen der Zellvitalität assoziiert. Das Variantenallel scheint bis auf wenige Ausnahmen einen zytoprotektiven Effekt zu haben. Ausnahmen sind 3 SNP der Gene BRCA2, SMAD3 und SMAD 7, bei denen der Wildtyp mit höherer Zellvitalität einhergeht. Bei alleiniger Bestrahlung wirkten sich SNP aus SMAD3, SMAD7, MSH2 und MSH6 modulierend auf die Zytotoxizität aus, wenn auch statistisch nicht signifikant. Interessanterweise zeigten sich bei Betrachtung der Auswirkung einer Stimulation mit TGFβ1 vor und nach Bestrahlung mit 3 Gy dieselben SNP als statistisch signifikante Modellprädiktoren wie auch bei alleiniger Bestrahlung mit Ausnahme eines SNP aus SMAD3.  Bei Vorinkubation mit TGFβ1 wirkte sich die MSH2-Variante stärker aus. Hier entstand beim Wildtyp ein zusätzlich zytotoxischer Einfluss im Vergleich zur Stimulation nach Bestrahlung. Bei Inhibition durch anti-TGFβ vor der Bestrahlung zeigte noch ein SNP aus MSH6 und ein SNP aus SMAD7 einen zytoprotektiven Effekt.  Einige Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit könnten, sofern sie im Verlauf durch nachfolgende Studien bestätigt bzw. erweitert werden helfen Therapiekonzepte maligner Tumoren zu optimieren und eine individuelle Radiotherapie zu ermöglichen.

INTRODUÇÃO: evidências sugerem a participação de fatores genéticos na susceptibilidade para o desenvolvimento das complicações renais em pacientes portadores de diabetes mellitus tipo 1 (DM1). Vários genes relacionados às vias bioquímicas induzidas pela hiperglicemia têm sido investigados e o estresse oxidativo foi reconhecido como o principal mecanismo patogênico responsável pelo dano celular causado pela hiperglicemia no DM. Assim, genes que codificam enzimas que participam de vias antioxidantes endógenas são candidatos a conferirem susceptibilidade, ou proteção, contra as complicações renais. Os sistemas da glutationa, glutarredoxina, tiorredoxina e a enzima transcetolase são importantes mecanismos de defesa celular contra o estresse oxidativo. OBJETIVOS: avaliar a associação entre os seguintes polimorfismos de um único nucleotídeo (SNP) e a doença renal em pacientes diabéticos tipo 1: -2030 T/G (rs34071297) e +718C/T (rs713041) no gene que codifica a glutationa peroxidase 4 (GPX4); -3310 G/C (rs10427424) no gene que codifica a glutationa sintetase (GSS); -247 A/G (rs2978668) no gene que codifica a glutationa redutase (GSR); -2763 A/G (rs6556885) no gene que codifica a glutarredoxina (GLRX); -224 T/A (rs2301242) no gene que codifica a tiorredoxina (TXN); +402 T/C (rs7211) no gene que codifica a proteína de interação com a tiorredoxina (TXNIP); -192 G/A (rs3788319) no gene que codifica a tiorredoxina redutase 2 (TXNRD2) e -3787 T/G (rs7637934) e -1410 T/C (rs11130365) no gene que codifica a transcetolase (TKT). CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODOS: 443 pacientes (192 do sexo masculino e 251 do sexo feminino) com DM1 com mais de 10 anos de diagnóstico foram classificados conforme a presença ou ausência das seguintes complicações: (1) nefropatia diabética franca (ND), definida por macroalbuminúria a proteinúria persistente; (2) nefropatia diabética estabelecida (NDE), definida por macroalbuminúria a proteinúria persistente ou RFGe < 60 mL/min/1,73 m2 ou pacientes em terapia de substituição renal e (3) ritmo de filtração glomerular estimado (RFGe) ou < que 60 mL/min/1,73 m2. O teste de Pearson 2 foi usado para comparar as frequências dos genótipos e a magnitude de associação foi estimada pelo cálculo do odds ratios (OR). A OR ajustada foi estimada por regressão logística para possíveis fatores de confusão (sexo, idade ao diagnóstico, tempo de diabetes, HbA1c, concentrações plasmáticas de colesterol e triglicérides e presença de hipertensão arterial). Pacientes controle não diabéticos também foram incluídos para avaliar se os SNPs não confeririam susceptibilidade para o DM1. RESULTADOS: A presença de pelo menos um alelo T do polimorfismo +718C/T no gene GPX4 conferiu proteção para a presença de ND estabelecida (OR=0,41; IC 95% 0,19-0,83, p= 0,0146) e ND franca (OR=0,37; IC 95% 0,15- 0,85; p= 0,021) na população masculina mesmo após ajuste para os fatores de confusão e a presença de dois alelos polimórficos A no polimorfismo -224 T/A no gene TXN conferiu risco para a presença de ND franca na população feminina após ajuste para os fatores de confusão (OR= 4,06; IC 95% 1,59-10,6, p= 0,0035). O genótipo TT para o SNP +402 T/C do gene da TXNIP foi mais frequente nos pacientes portadores de DM1 em relação aos controles não diabéticos. O genótipo CC do SNP TXNIP +402 T/C conferiu proteção para a presença de ND estabelecida em homens mesmo após ajuste para os fatores de confusão (OR=0,45; IC 95% 0,22-0,91; p= 0,02). CONCLUSÕES: Os SNPs +718C/T (rs713041) no gene GPX4, -224 T/A (rs2301242) no gene TXN e +402 T/C (rs7211) no gene TXNIP, modulam o risco para o comprometimento renal na população de portadores de DM1 estudada / INTRODUCTION: there is evidence suggesting that genetic factors are involved in the susceptibility to the development of renal complications in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1). Several genes related to the mechanisms of hyperglycemia-induced cell damage have been investigated. Oxidative stress is recognized as a major pathogenic factor of cellular damage caused by hyperglycemia. Thus, genes that encode enzymes involved in endogenous antioxidant pathways may be candidates for conferring risk or protection against renal complications. The glutathione, glutaredoxin, and thioredoxin systems and transketolase enzyme are important mechanisms of cellular defense against oxidative stress. OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the association between the following single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and renal disease in type 1 diabetic patients: -2030 T/G (rs34071297) and +718C/T (rs713041) in the gene encoding glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4); -3310 G/C (rs10427424) in the gene encoding glutathione synthetase (GSS); -247 A/G (rs2978668) in the gene encoding glutathione reductase (GSR); -2763 A/G (rs6556885) in the gene encoding glutaredoxin (GLRX); -224 T/A (rs2301242) in the gene encoding thioredoxin (TXN); +402 T/C (rs7211) in gene encoding thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP); -192 G/A (rs3788319) in the gene encoding thioredoxin reductase 2 (TXNRD2); - 3787 T/G (rs7637934) and -1410 T/C (rs11130365) in the gene encoding transketolase (TKT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 443 patients (192 males and 251 females) with type 1 diabetes duration > 10 years were grouped according to presence or absence of the following complications: (1) overt diabetic nephropathy (DN) defined by persistent macroalbuminuria to proteinuria; (2) established diabetic nephropathy (EDN), defined by persistent macroalbuminuria or proteinuria or estimated glomerular filtration rate (RFGe) < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or patients under renal replacement therapy and (3) RFGe or < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Pearsons 2 test was performed to compare the genotype frequencies and magnitude of association was estimated using odds ratios (OR). Adjusted OR was estimated by logistic regression for possible confounders (sex, age at diagnosis, diabetes duration, HbA1C, cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations and the presence of hypertension). Nondiabetic subjects were also included. RESULTS: The presence of at least one T polymorphic allele of the SNP GPX4 +718 C/T was protective against EDN (OR = 0.41, CI 95% 0.19- 0.83, p= 0.0146) and against overt DN (OR=0.37; IC 95% 0.15-0.85; p= 0.021) in the male population even after adjustment for possible confounders. The presence of two polymorphic alleles of the SNP TXN -224 T/A conferred independent risk for the presence of overt DN in the female population after adjustment for possible confounders (OR = 4.06, CI 95% 1.59- 10.6, p= 0.0035). The TT genotype for the SNP TXNIP +402 T/C was more frequent in patients with type 1 diabetes compared to nondiabetic controls. The genotype CC of the SNP TXNIP +402 T/C was protective against EDN in male population even after adjustment for possible confounders (OR=0.45; IC 95% 0.22-0.91; p= 0.02) CONCLUSIONS: The SNPs GPX4 +718C/T (rs713041), TXN -224 T/A (rs2301242) and TXNIP +402T/C (rs7211) modulate the risk for renal disease in the studied population of type 1 diabetes patients

O Líquen Plano Oral (LPO) é uma doença inflamatória crônica que pode apresentar quadros sintomáticos por longos períodos, afetando a qualidade de vida dos portadores desta doença. Sua etiologia ainda é desconhecida, desse modo os tratamentos disponíveis atualmente se restringem ao controle dos períodos sintomáticos. Acredita-se que a patogênese do LPO possa estar relacionada com alterações imunológicas e genéticas que levam a uma aberrante ativação das vias de sinalização dos receptores Toll-like (TLR). O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a expressão do TLR2 e duas variantes genéticas deste receptor (rs1898830 e rs4696480) em estudo caso-controle envolvendo 91 amostras de pacientes com LPO e 83 amostras de indivíduos controles, pareados por sexo e idade. Não foram observadas diferenças na expressão do TLR2 entre grupo caso e controle, e nenhuma das variantes avaliadas foi relacionada com relação de risco para o desenvolvimento de LPO. Poucos estudos avaliaram os TLR no LPO, e os dados da literatura sugerem que a cronicidade da lesão e alterações na tolerância oral poderiam estar associadas a resposta imunológica via TLR2, que apresenta sua expressão inalterada no LPO, de forma que estudos mais aprofundados são necessários para se confirmar a real participação deste grupo de receptores no LPO. / Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease, which can be symptomatic for long periods, affecting the patient quality of life. LPO etiology still unknown, thus the treatments currently available are limited to symptomatic period. Probably the pathogenesis of OLP is related to immunological and genetic changes that provide aberrant Toll-like receptors (TLR) signaling. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of TLR2 and two genetic variants of this receptor (rs1898830 and rs4696480) in a case-control study involving 91 samples from OLP patients and 83 samples from control subjects, matched for age and sex. No differenc es were observed in TLR2 expression between case and control groups, and neither of the variants was associated with an increased risk ratio for LPO development. Few studies have been conducted on TLR and OLP, and the literature suggests that the chronicity of the lesion in addition to the changes in oral tolerance may be associated with immune response through TLR2 stimulation, which shows unchanged expression in LPO. Further studies are required to confirm the actual participation of this group of receptors in OLP.

Duzentas amostras de DNA obtidas de voluntários brasileiros não aparentados foram triadas para SNPs em uma região de 4079 pares de bases do gene PLAC4 através de reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) - utilizando o kit Taq Platinum DNA polymerase (Invitrogen, USA) ciclada em termociclador Eppendorf Mastercycle Gradient (Eppendorf, Germany); e posterior sequenciamento - utilizando o kit Big Dye Terminator Cycle Sequencing v3.1 (Applied Biosystems, USA) corrida em sequenciador ABI 3100 DNA Sequencer (Applied Biosystems, USA). Sete fragmentos foram amplificados utilizando pares de iniciadores desenhados com o auxílio do programa Primer 3 baseado em uma sequência do gene PLAC4 obtida do GenBank. Dez SNPs com taxa de heterozigozidade superior a 25% foram identificados, localizados em seis dos sete fragmentos estudados, que fazem a cobertura de 93% da população brasileira. Um painel combinando estes 10 SNPs apresenta potencial utilidade clínica em um teste pré-natal não invasivo da síndrome de Down fetal baseado na abordagem SNP/mRNA / Two hundred DNA samples obtained from unrelated Brazilian individuals were screened for SNPs in a region of 4079 bp of the exon of PLAC4 gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) - using Taq Platinum DNA polymerase kit (Invitrogen, USA) cycled on Eppendorf Mastercycle Gradient thermocycle (Eppendorf, Germany); and subsequent sequencing using Big Dye Terminator Cycle Sequencing v3.1 kit (Applied Biosystems, USA) on ABI 3100 DNA Sequencer (Applied Biosystems, USA). Seven fragments were amplified using primer pairs designed by primer 3 software based on PLAC4 sequence obtained from GenBank. Ten SNPs with heterozigosity rate above 25% were identified, located in six of the seven fragments studied, that covers up to 93% of Brazilian population. A panel combining this 10 SNPs show potential utility in clinical setting for a noninvasive prenatal diagnostic test for Down syndrome based in the SNP/mRNA approach

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-10T10:39:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PRISCILLA SILVA ROSA DE ALMEIDA.pdf: 3720637 bytes, checksum: b39a9c071d90058d47a3a8c7aec2c7f3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-07-21 / Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are tumors with mesodermical origin, comprising about 1% of all adult neoplasms. Because of its effect on the p53 protein coding sequence, and its association with an increased risk for some cancer types, TP53 codon 72 polymorphism has been investigated in several studies. TP53 codon 72 codes for either Arginine (p53Arg), or Proline (p53Pro) at the p53 protein primary sequence. It was demonstrated that such amino acid change affects p53 biochemical and biological properties, and several studies have been developed in order to associate TP53 codon 72 polymorphisms as a risk, and as a prognostic factor for different cancer types. Any published study on the TP53 codon 72 polymorphism in adult soft tissue sarcomas was found in the literature. The present study aimed to investigate TP53Arg/Pro polymorphism as a potential prognostic factor in 100 adult subjects with STS. Patients were assisted at the Hospital Araújo Jorge of the Associação de Combate ao Câncer em Goiás in Goiânia, Brazil. DNA from patients was obtained from formaldehyde-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue samples stored at the Pathology Department of the institution. Control group included 85 healthy donors randomly selected from Goiânia s population and, for this group, DNA extraction was performed from peripheral blood. Polymorphism genotyping was achieved by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with specific primer sets for each polymorphic variant. Statistical analysis was performed by using GenePop Ò web version 3.4 software. In this study, TP53 allelic and genotypic frequencies were investigated for subjects and controls, however, any statistical difference between the two groups was found. Our study supports the evidence that p53Arg is the most frequent allele in Latin American population, but worldwide genic and genetic frequency data are conflicting because of ethnical differences among the studied populations. According to the results, no significant association was demonstrated between TP53 codon 72 polymorphism and clinocopathological characteristics such as gender, age, tumor localization, histology, tumor size, stage, grade, node status, and distant metastasis. The five-year overall survival for the study group was 48.1%. Tumors with p53Pro/Pro genotype demonstrated a reduced survival rate (30%) when compared to p53Arg/Arg (45%), and p53Arg/Pro group (54.9%), but this association was not statistically significant (p = 0.444). In the present study, the p53Arg variant was not statistically associated with a more favorable prognosis in adult STS patients. / Os sarcomas de partes moles (SPM) são tumores de origem mesodérmica, representando cerca de 1% do total das neoplasias em adultos. O polimorfismo do códon 72 do gene TP53 é extensivamente estudado por causar impacto na seqüência codificadora do gene, além de estar associado ao maior risco para o desenvolvimento de alguns tipos de câncer. Este polimorfismo resulta na expressão de arginina (p53Arg) e/ou prolina (p53Pro) na posição 72 da proteína p53. As formas polimórficas de TP53, em relação ao polimorfismo do códon 72, apresentam propriedades bioquímicas e biológicas diferentes, e por esta razão, vários estudos foram conduzidos na tentativa de associar tais formas polimórficas como fator de risco e prognóstico para inúmeras neoplasias. Entretanto, a literatura não relata nenhum estudo que associe este polimorfismo aos sarcomas de partes moles do adulto. Neste contexto, o objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar o polimorfismo p53Arg/Pro como potencial fator de risco e/ou prognóstico em 100 casos de SPMs em adultos atendidos no Hospital Araújo Jorge da Associação de Combate ao Câncer em Goiás. O grupo controle incluiu 85 indivíduos saudáveis selecionados aleatoriamente da população da cidade de Goiânia. As amostras dos casos constituíram de tecidos fixados em formol e incluídos em parafina e, para a extração de DNA, os tecidos foram previamente desparafinizados. A extração de DNA do grupo controle foi realizada a partir de sangue periférico. Para a genotipagem do polimorfismo, a reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) foi realizada utilizando conjuntos de primers específicos para cada variante polimórfica. Após a análise dos dados obtidos, verificou-se que as freqüências alélicas e genotípicas não apresentaram diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre os casos e os controles. Nosso estudo corrobora com as evidências de que o alelo p53Arg é o mais comum em populações latinoamericanas. Entretanto, os dados sobre as freqüências gênicas e genotípicas da literatura mundial são conflitantes, fato que pode ser atribuído às diferenças étnicas descritas entre as populações estudadas. Nenhuma relação estatisticamente significativa foi encontrada entre o polimorfismo do códon 72 de TP53 e as características clínico-patológicas estudadas, como sexo, idade agrupada, localização, histologia, tamanho e grau histológico tumoral, estadiamento e presença de mestástases. A sobrevida global em cinco anos para o grupo estudado foi de 48,1%. As análises de sobrevida em relação ao polimorfismo de TP53 revelaram que os pacientes cujos tumores apresentaram o genótipo p53Pro/Pro tiveram sobrevida inferior (30%), quando comparados ao grupo de pacientes com os genótipos p53Arg/Arg (45%) e p53Arg/Pro (54,9%). Entretanto, essa diferença não foi estatisticamente significativa (p = 0,444). Sabese que a isoforma p53Arg apresenta função apoptótica mais marcante. Esta característica pode conferir ao paciente um melhor prognóstico da doença. No presente trabalho, contudo, não pudemos verificar que esta variante esteve associada a um prognóstico mais favorável em pacientes adultos com SPMs.