Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter of the CDK5 gene and lung cancer risk in a Korean population

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5), a proline-directed serine/threonine kinase, which was originally known for its regulatory role in neuronal activities, has recently been suggested to play a role in extraneuronal activities. For example, a recent study detected overexpression of the CDK5 gene in non-small-cell lung cancer. Therefore, in order to explore the association of the CDK5 gene with lung cancer risk in a Korean population, the genotypes of the CDK5 promoter region were determined in 407 lung cancer patients and 402 normal participants. The result showed that the 904 GA genotype affected susceptibility to lung cancer risk (odd ratios (OR)1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI)1.02-2.32). Furthermore, subsequent haplotype analysis of three single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) regions suggested that the A-G-C haplotype was associated with a higher overall risk of lung cancer (OR1.59, 95% CI1.16-2.18). These results suggest that CDK5 promoter polymorphisms contribute to the genetic susceptibility to lung cancer in the Korean population.