Background: Elevated prostatic dihydrotestosterone (DHT) has been suggested to increase the risk of prostate cancer. The HSD3B2 gene encodes the type II 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase: one of two enzymes that initiate the inactivation of DHT. Thus, the HSD3B2 gene is a candidate gene for predisposition to prostate cancer.
Methods: We have determine the distribution of a complex dinucleotide repeat in the HSD3B2 gene in high-risk African-Americans, intermediate-risk Euro-Americans, and low-risk Asians. Genomic DNA from 312 individuals was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and analyzed by electrophoresis on denaturing polyacrylamide gels.
Results: We have found that certain alleles are either unique to or much more common in either African-Americans, Asians, or Euro-Americans. Our data also substantially expand the number of alleles reported for the complex dinucleotide repeat polymorphism in the HSD3B2 gene.
Conclusions: Our report demonstrates substantial genetic variation in the HSD3B2 gene. We hypothesize that allelic variants of the HSD3B2 gene may play a role in predisposition to prostate cancer, and in explaining the substantial racial/ethnic variation in risk.