Comprehensive Review of Genetic Association Studies and Meta-Analysis on polymorphisms in microRNAs and Urological Neoplasms Risk

PI3K/AKT pathway-related microRNA variants in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

BACKGROUND

Dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) targeting genes in the PI3K/Akt pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, the impact of genetic variants in these miRNAs on ALL susceptibility has not been extensively explored in the Chinese population.

METHODS

To address this gap, we conducted a case-control study to evaluate the association between genetic variants in five PI3K/AKT pathway-related miRNAs (miR-149, miR-126, miR-492, miR-612, and miR-423) and childhood ALL susceptibility in the Chinese population. Additionally, we investigated the effects of the rs2292832 mutation on ALL cell proliferation and apoptosis.

RESULTS

Our analyses revealed that the miR-149 rs2292832 mutant heterozygous CT genotype was more frequent in the control group than in the ALL cases, indicating a protective effect against ALL (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.63-0.97, p = .024). Stratification analyses further revealed that the miR-149 rs2292832 CC genotype was associated with an increased risk of childhood ALL in subgroups of older children, females, those with parents who never smoked or drank alcohol, those living in painted houses, those with B-ALL, and those with high-risk ALL. Finally, we observed that the rs2292832 mutation inhibited ALL cell proliferation and induced apoptosis (p = .001), providing a potential mechanism by which this genetic variant may influence ALL susceptibility.

CONCLUSION

Our study highlights the significant association between the miR-149 rs2292832 genetic variant and childhood ALL susceptibility in the Chinese population. These findings expand our understanding of the complex genetic landscape underlying ALL and have implications for the development of personalized therapeutic strategies.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in microRNA Genes and Colorectal Cancer Risk and Prognosis

There is growing interest in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes of microRNAs (miRNAs), which could be associated with susceptibility to colorectal cancer (CRC) and therefore for prognosis of the disease and/or treatment response. Moreover, these miRNAs-SNPs could serve as new, low-invasive biomarkers for early detection of CRC. In the present article, we performed a thorough review of different SNPs, which were investigated for a correlation with the CRC risk, prognosis, and treatment response. We also analyzed the results from different meta-analyses and the possible reasons for reported contradictory findings, especially when different research groups investigated the same SNP in a gene for a particular miRNA. This illustrates the need for more case-control studies involving participants with different ethnic backgrounds. According to our review, three miRNAs-SNPs-miR-146a rs2910164, miR-27a rs895819 and miR-608 rs4919510-appear as promising prognostic, diagnostic and predictive biomarkers for CRC, respectively.

The relationship between CHRNA5/A3/B4 gene cluster polymorphisms and lung cancer risk: An updated meta-analysis and systematic review

BACKGROUND

Genetic polymorphisms in the 15q25 region have been associated with the risk of lung cancer (LC). However, studies have yielded conflicting results.

METHODS

Searches were conducted in databases, including PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang, for case-control studies up to August 1, 2019. After retrieving eligible studies and data extraction, we calculated pooled odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. In the meta-analysis, we included 32 publications with a total of 52,795 patients with LC and 97,493 control cases to evaluate the polymorphisms in the CHRNA5/A3/B4 gene cluster in the 15q25 region.

RESULTS

Data of the meta-analysis showed a significantly increased risk of LC in the presence of genetic polymorphisms (rs1051730, rs16969968, rs8034191). In the smoking subgroup, the CHRNA3 rs1051730 polymorphism was found to contribute to LC risk using following 5 models: the allelic model, the homozygous model, the heterozygous model, the dominant model, and the recessive model. Thus, the rs1051730 polymorphism may modify LC susceptibility under the condition of smoking. Stratification studies for CHRNA5-rs8034191 showed that Caucasian groups with the wild-type genotype (C/C) may be susceptible to LC in all 5 models. No significant relationship between CHRNA3 rs6495309 or rs3743073 and LC susceptibility was found. However, Asians with the rs3743037 B-allele showed an obviously higher risk of LC susceptibility than the Caucasian population, observed via allelic, heterozygous, and dominant models.

CONCLUSIONS

The 3 polymorphisms of rs1051730, rs16969968 and rs8034191 in the CHRNA5/A3/B4 gene cluster in the 15q25 region were associated with LC risk, which might be influenced by ethnicity and smoking status.

Association of rs8444 polymorphism in the LASS2 3'-UTR and bladder cancer risk in Chinese population

The aim of the present study was to explore the correlations between single nucleotide polymorphisms in LASS2 gene 3'-untranslated regions and bladder cancer risk in Chinese population. We first performed PCR and sequence for LASS2-3'-UTR in 105 bladder cancer patients and 100 control subjects. Next, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms frequency and susceptibility of bladder cancer, and clinical features in 105 cases. In addition, survival curves and Cox Regression analysis were used to investigate the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms on clinical outcome in 58 cases. Finally, quantitative reverse-transcription PCR and immunohistochemical were performed to explore the influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms on LASS2 expression. We found that a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs8444 C>T) located in the 3'-UTR of LASS2 was significantly associated with the risk of bladder cancer. We also showed the frequency of rs8444 T genotype was higher in bladder cancer group and correlated with the risk of clinical prognosis. Yet, there were no significant correlations between T/C allele frequencies and the distributions of rs8444 genotype and tumor-node-metastasis stage, histological grade and distant metastasis in bladder cancer. Furthermore, we demonstrated that rs8444 C>T could affect LASS2 expression by single nucleotide polymorphism-related mRNA stability. Our results showed that LASS2-3'-UTR rs8444 C>T polymorphism was significantly associated with the individual risk and the poor overall survival of bladder cancer, suggesting that rs8444 TT genotype maybe act as an independent risk factor of susceptibility and clinical prognosis for bladder cancer in Chinese population.

Dopamine receptor D2 genetic variations is associated with the risk and clinicopathological variables of urothelial cell carcinoma in a Taiwanese population

Dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) is overexpressed in several kinds of cancers and was correlated with the prognosis of these cancers. Polymorphisms within the DRD2 gene were shown to be associated with lung and colon cancers. The purpose of this study was to explore effects of DRD2 gene polymorphisms on the susceptibility to and clinicopathological characteristics of urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC). In total, 369 patients diagnosed with UCC and 738 healthy controls were enrolled to analyze DRD2 genotypes at four loci (rs1799732, -141C>del; rs1079597, TaqIB; rs6277, 957C>T; and rs1800497, TaqIA) using a TaqMan-based real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We found a significantly lower risk for UCC in individuals with the DRD2 rs6277 CT genotype compared to those with the wild-type CC genotype (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=0.405, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.196~0.837, p=0.015). In 124 younger patients (aged < 65 years) of the recruited UCC cohort, patients who carried at least one T allele of DRD2 rs1800497 were at higher risk (AOR=2.270, 95% CI: 1.060~4.860, p=0.033) of developing an invasive stage (pT2~pT4). In 128 female patients of the recruited UCC cohort, patients who carried at least one deletion allele of DRD2 rs1799732 showed a higher incidence of having an invasive stage (AOR=2.585, 95% CI: 1.066~6.264, p=0.032) and a large tumor (AOR=2.778, 95% CI: 1.146~6.735, p=0.021). Further analyses of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets revealed correlations of the expression of DRD2 with an invasive tumor, tumor metastasis, and the lower survival rate in patients with UCC. Our findings suggest that DRD2 levels might affect the progression of UCC, and the polymorphisms rs6277, rs1800497, and rs1799732 of DRD2 are probably associated with the susceptibility and clinicopathologic development of UCC in a Taiwanese population.