Association between KLK3 rs2735839 G/A Polymorphism and Serum PSA Levels in Japanese Men

Objectives: To clarify the association of kallikrein-related peptidase 3 (KLK3) rs2735839 G/A polymorphism with serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in Japanese men. Methods: Subjects were participants of the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study who visited the Seirei Preventive Health Care Center in Shizuoka, Japan. Among the 5,040 individuals aged 35-69 years who were enrolled in 2006-2007, serum PSA data were available for 2,323 male subjects without a past history of prostate cancer. The diagnostic criteria for PSA positivity was PSA >= 4.0 ng/ml. Genotyping of the KLK3 polymorphism was conducted by the polymerase chain reaction with the confronting two-pair primers (PCR-CTPP) method. Results: The mean +/- SD of PSA levels (mg/dl) were 1.54 +/- 1.73 for those with KLK3 rs2735839 GIG genotype, 1.34 +/- 1.33 for G/A, and 1.20 +/- 1.23 for A/A, which was significantly different (p < 0.0001). The age-adjusted odds ratios of PSA test positivity were 0.62 (95% confidence interval 0.41-0.94) for those with G/A + A/A relative to those with G/G. Conclusions: The present study revealed that the KLK3 rs2735839 G allele was significantly associated with higher serum PSA levels also in Japanese. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel