Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine (Mar 2017)

MTHFR polymorphisms in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: influence on methotrexate therapy

  • Umerez M,
  • Gutierrez-Camino Á,
  • Muñoz-Maldonado C,
  • Martin-Guerrero I,
  • Garcia-Orad A

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume10
pp. 69 – 78

Abstract

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Maitane Umerez,1 Ángela Gutierrez-Camino,1 Carmen Muñoz-Maldonado,1 Idoia Martin-Guerrero,1 Africa Garcia-Orad1,2 1Department of Genetics, Physical Anthropology and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursery, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, 2BioCruces Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain Abstract: Methotrexate (MTX) is an important component in the therapy used to treat childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key enzyme for MTX pharmacokinetics. Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms in MTHFR gene, C677T and A1298C, affecting MTHFR activity, have been widely studied as potential markers of MTX toxicity and/or outcome in pediatric ALL. In this review, we show that the majority of published reports do not find association or present opposite effect. Therefore, MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms do not seem to be good markers of MTX-related toxicity and/or outcome in pediatric ALL. The efforts should be focused on other genes, such as transporter genes or microRNA-related genes. Keywords: MTHFR, methotrexate, toxicity, outcome, C677T, A1298C

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