Out of 17 genes investigated, 15 were found to be significantly associated with the risk of cancer: four genes were shared by all three malignancies (ARNTL, CLOCK, RORA and RORB), two by breast and lung cancer (CRY1 and CRY2) and three by prostate and lung cancer (NPAS2, NR1D1 and PER3), whereas four genes were specific for lung cancer (ARNTL2, CSNK1E, NR1D2 and PER2) and two for breast cancer (PER1, RORC).
There was some evidence of an interaction between PER1 and nightwork in breast cancer in the whole sample (P=0.024), although the effect was not statistically significant after correcting for multiple testing (P=0.452).
Following permutation analysis, two SNPs (rs3816360 in ARNTL and rs11113179 in CRY1) displayed significant associations with breast cancer and one SNP (rs3027188 in PER1) was marginally significant; however, none were significant following adjustment for the false discovery rate.
In the first genome-wide DNA methylation profiling according to the receptor status of breast cancer, we found that ER/PR status affects the DNA methylation state of FAM124B, ST6GALNAC1, NAV1 and PER1 in breast cancer.
Because Per1, another key clock gene, is mutated in human breast cancers, and because its clock functions are similar and complementary to those of Per2, we have studied its role in modulating breast cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth.