The genetic etiology of sporadic
neuroblastoma remains largely obscure. RAN and
RANBP2 genes encode
Ras-related nuclear protein and
Ran-binding protein 2, respectively. These two
proteins form Ran-RanBP2 complex that regulate various cellular activities including nuclear transport. Aberrant functions of the two
proteins are implicated in
carcinogenesis. Given the unknown role of RAN/
RANBP2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in
neuroblastoma risk, we performed a multi-center case-control study in Chinese children to assess the association of the RAN/
RANBP2 SNPs with
neuroblastoma risk. We analyzed three potentially functional SNPs in RAN gene (rs56109543 C>T, rs7132224 A>G, rs14035 C>T) and one in
RANBP2 (rs2462788 C>T) in 429 cases and 884 controls. Odds ratios (
ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to access the association between these four polymorphisms and
neuroblastoma risk. No single variant was found to statistically significantly associate with
neuroblastoma risk. However, individuals with 3 protective genotypes were less likely to develop
neuroblastoma, in comparison to non-carriers (adjusted OR=0.33; 95% CI=0.12-0.96; P=0.042), as well as those with 0-2 protective genotypes (adjusted OR=0.33; 95% CI=0.11-0.94; P=0.038). Stratified analysis revealed no significant association for any of the four polymorphisms. Further studies are warranted to validate the weak impact of RAN/
RANBP2 SNPs on
neuroblastoma risk.