Frequency of XRCC1 Exon 9 G>A gene polymorphism in Saudi Arabian population: A comparative study with worldwide ethnic groups

Purpose: The human genome encompasses around three billion base genes. They are continuously being exposed and vulnerable to different endogenous and environmental mutagens that affect its integrity. However, the identification of the genetic polymorphisms responsible for the compromised DNA repair capacity (DRC) can help in cancer prevention. The main aim of the current study was to evaluate the frequency distribution of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) Arg280His Exon 9 (C>G) (rs25489) of XRCC1 gene in Saudi Arabian population and its comparison with the worldwide ethnic groups. Methods: PUBMED (Medline) online web-database was searched for the required epidemiological studies of different ethnic groups. Results: The allelic frequency distribution in wild type of XRCC1 Exon 9 (G>A) was found to be 26.5% (A). Significant frequency distributions were observed in Norway (p <0.001), Taiwan (p <0.001), USA (p <0.001), China (p 0.009), Iran (p <0.001), North Africa (p <0.001), Spain (p <0.001) and North India (p <0.001) as compared to the Saudi Arabian population. Conclusions: This study concludes that the frequency of the mentioned DNA repair gene demonstrates a unique pattern in Saudi Arabia population, which could be attributed to ethnicity variation. The current finding can help in screening of high risk and vulnerable individuals exposed to environmental carcinogens and cancer predisposition in different ethnicities.