Effects of common polymorphism rs11614913 in Hsa-miR-196a2 on lung cancer risk

miR-196a in the carcinogenesis and other disorders with an especial focus on its biomarker capacity

miR-196a has important roles in the pathoetiology of different disorders ranging from non-malignant to malignant ones. This miRNA is transcribed from two genomic loci, namely HOXC and HOXB on human chromosomes 12 and 17, respectively. The current study aims to summarize the role of miR-196a in different disorders. In the most conducted studies in the framework of cancer, miR-196a has been identified as an oncogene. However, few studies are not conformed to this concept. In head and neck, lung, oral and pancreatic cancers, miR-196a is a possible diagnostic marker. In addition, it has a possible role in the pathoetiology of diabetic nephropathy, Huntington's disease, idiopathic male infertility, keloid, chronic kidney disease and spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy; and is regarded as a biomarker for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and chronic kidney disease. We aim to recapitulate the role of miR-196a in different malignant and non-malignant disorders.

Explainable coronary artery disease prediction model based on AutoGluon from AutoML framework

Objective

This study focuses on the innovative application of Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) technology in cardiovascular medicine to construct an explainable Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) prediction model to support the clinical diagnosis of CAD.

Methods

This study utilizes a combined data set of five public data sets related to CAD. An ensemble model is constructed using the AutoML open-source framework AutoGluon to evaluate the feasibility of AutoML in constructing a disease prediction model in cardiovascular medicine. The performance of the ensemble model is compared against individual baseline models. Finally, the disease prediction ensemble model is explained using SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP).

Results

The experimental results show that the AutoGluon-based ensemble model performs better than the individual baseline models in predicting CAD. It achieved an accuracy of 0.9167 and an AUC of 0.9562 in 4-fold cross-bagging. SHAP measures the importance of each feature to the prediction of the model and explains the prediction results of the model.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates the feasibility and efficacy of AutoML technology in cardiovascular medicine and highlights its potential in disease prediction. AutoML reduces the barriers to model building and significantly improves prediction accuracy. Additionally, the integration of SHAP enhances model transparency and explainability, which is critical to ensuring model credibility and widespread adoption in cardiovascular medicine.

piRNAs as emerging biomarkers and physiological regulatory molecules in cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent one of the most considerable global health threats, owing to their high incidence and mortality rates. Despite the ongoing advancements in detection, prevention, treatment, and prognosis of CVD, which have resulted in a decline in both incidence and mortality rates, CVD remains a major public health concern. Therefore, novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic interventions are imperative to minimise the risk of CVD. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have recently gained increasing attention, with PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) emerging as a class of small ncRNAs traditionally recognised for their role in silencing transposons within cells. Although the functional roles of PIWI proteins and piRNAs in human cells remain unclear, growing evidence suggests that these molecules are gradually becoming valuable biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of CVD. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the latest studies on piRNAs in CVD. This review discusses the roles of piRNAs in various cardiovascular subtypes, including myocardial hypertrophy, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and cardiac regeneration. The perceived insights may contribute novel perspectives for the diagnosis and treatment of CVD.

The miR-196a SNP Rs11614913 but not the miR-499 rs37464444 SNP is a Risk Factor for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer in an Iranian Population

Background

Globally, lung cancer represents a major cause of cancer-related deaths. The regulation of gene expression is modulated by small noncoding RNAs called miRNAs that can act as both tumor suppressors and oncogenes. The maturation, expression and binding to target mRNAs is affected by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNA genomic regions thereby contributing to cancer susceptibility. SNPs Rs11614913 in miR196a and Rs3746444 in miR-499 are implicated in the development of cancers such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in non-Arabic subjects.

Materials and Methods

A small cohort of 204 participants including 104 lung cancer patients and 100 non-cancer controls subjects were enrolled into the study. The allele frequencies were determined by Polymerase Chain Reaction- Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and their correlation with lung cancer risk was determined.

Results

The miR-196a rs11614913 polymorphism increased the risk of NSCLC (CC vs. TT+TC: OR= 2.26, 95%CI= 1.28 - 3.98, P= 0.0046) in a dominant genetic model. No statistically significant association was found between the miR-499 rs37464444 polymorphism and NSCLC.

Conclusion

The rs11614913 polymorphism in miR-196a, but not the miR-499 rs37464444 polymorphism, increased the risk of NSCLC. Further studies with larger sample sizes in correlation with functional outcomes at the cellular level should be undertaken.

Association between microRNA-146a, -499a and -196a-2 SNPs and non-small cell lung cancer: a case-control study involving 2249 subjects

MicroRNA (miR) acts as a negative regulator of gene expression. Many literatures have suggested that miRs may be involved in the process of cell proliferation, inflammation, oxidative stress, energy metabolism and epithelial–mesenchymal transition. Thus, miRs may be implicated in the occurrence of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the current investigation, we included 2249 subjects (1193 NSCLC patients and 1056 controls) and designed a study to identify the relationship of miR-146a rs2910164 C/G, -499a rs3746444 A/G and -196a-2 rs11614913 T/C with the risk of NSCLC. The risk factors (e.g., body mass index (BMI), sex, smoking, drinking and age) was used to adjust the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). After conducting a power value assessment, we did not confirm that the miR-single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotypic distributions were different in NSCLC cases and controls. However, the association of miR-196a-2 rs11614913 with a decreased risk of NSCLC was identified in the female subgroup (adjusted P=0.005, power = 0.809 for TC vs. TT, and adjusted P=0.004, power = 0.849 for CC/TC vs. TT). In addition, gene–gene interaction analysis showed that rs11614913 TC/3746444 AA and rs11614913 CC/rs3746444 AA could also reduce the susceptibility to NSCLC (rs11614913 TC/rs3746444 AA vs. rs11614913 TT/rs3746444 AA, P=0.001, power = 0.912 and rs11614913 CC/rs3746444 AA vs. rs11614913 TT/rs3746444 AA, P=0.003, power = 0.836). In conclusion, in overall comparisons, we did not confirm that the rs2910164, rs3746444, and rs11614913 SNPs genotypic distributions were different in NSCLC cases and controls. However, this case–control study demonstrates that miR-196a-2 rs11614913 may be a protective factor for the development of NSCLC among female patients.

Single nucleotide alterations in MicroRNAs and human cancer-A not fully explored field

MicroRNAs are ~20 nt long small noncoding RNAs that are processed from stem-looped precursors and function mainly as posttranscriptional regulators of protein coding genes through binding to 3'-untranslated regions of messenger RNAs to inhibit the translation or cause RNA degradation. It is predicted microRNAs could regulate up to half of all human genes and are proved to play important roles in human diseases including cancer. They bind to target mRNAs based on complementary binding which is dominated by the so-called "seed" region which are the 5' 2-8 bases of the microRNA. Due to the small size in nature, even a single nucleotide variation in the precursor region especially those located in the seed regions could show big influence. Here, I summarized and reviewed the current knowledge of these single nucleotide alterations in microRNAs in human cancer including (i) common SNPs in the precursor region, (ii) isomiRs, (iii) somatic mutations of microRNAs. Briefly, this is an underexploited field and clearly, warrants further studies to reveal their biological and clinical significances. I believe they will be key to advancing personalized medicine.

Somatic Mutations in miRNA Genes in Lung Cancer-Potential Functional Consequences of Non-Coding Sequence Variants

A growing body of evidence indicates that miRNAs may either drive or suppress oncogenesis. However, little is known about somatic mutations in miRNA genes. To determine the frequency and potential consequences of miRNA gene mutations, we analyzed whole exome sequencing datasets of 569 lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and 597 lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) samples generated in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. Altogether, we identified 1091 somatic sequence variants affecting 522 different miRNA genes and showed that half of all cancers had at least one such somatic variant/mutation. These sequence variants occurred in most crucial parts of miRNA precursors, including mature miRNA and seed sequences. Due to our findings, we hypothesize that seed mutations may affect miRNA:target interactions, drastically changing the pool of predicted targets. Mutations may also affect miRNA biogenesis by changing the structure of miRNA precursors, DROSHA and DICER cleavage sites, and regulatory sequence/structure motifs. We identified 10 significantly overmutated hotspot miRNA genes, including the miR-379 gene in LUAD enriched in mutations in the mature miRNA and regulatory sequences. The occurrence of mutations in the hotspot miRNA genes was also shown experimentally. We present a comprehensive analysis of somatic variants in miRNA genes and show that some of these genes are mutational hotspots, suggesting their potential role in cancer.

miR-300 rs12894467 polymorphism may be associated with susceptibility to primary lung cancer in the Chinese Han population

Objective

The etiology of lung cancer has been attributed to both environmental and genetic factors. In this study, we investigated the association between five miRNA gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the risk of lung cancer, and explored the interaction between genetic and environmental factors in the Han people of China, the ethnic group that represents >90% of the population of the country.

Methods

This case–control study included 1,067 cases and 1,085 controls. Epidemiological data were collected by in-person interviews using a standard questionnaire. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry was applied to genotype the selected miRNA gene SNPs. Unconditional logistic regression and stratified analysis were used to analyze the associations between these SNPs and lung cancer, and to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Crossover analysis, logistic regression, and the Excel table made by Andersson were used to analyze the combined and interaction effects of gene–environment.

Results

The rs12894467 CC/CT genotype was associated with a significantly increased risk for lung cancer in women (adjusted OR =1.46, 95% CI=1.01–2.10). Smokers carrying the CC/ CT genotype were associated with a significantly decreased risk of lung cancer, the adjusted OR was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.57–0.98). In the dominant model, rs12894467 and gender were associated with a positive multiplicative interaction; rs12894467 and smoking were associated with a negative multiplicative interaction.

Conclusion

The rs12894467 polymorphism was potentially associated with primary lung cancer in the Han Chinese population and had an interactive relationship with environmental factors.

A meta-analytic review of the association between two common SNPs in miRNAs and lung cancer susceptibility

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in many biological processes, including tumor suppression. Multiple studies have shown an association between the miRNA-196a2 rs11614913 and miRNA-146a rs2910164 polymorphisms and cancer risk. However, the implications of the reported data are debatable and inconclusive.

Materials and methods

Relevant articles were retrieved from the PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang databases from January 1, 2007, to April 30, 2017. Studies were assessed based on designated inclusion and exclusion criteria, and data were manually extracted from relevant studies by two investigators. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to explore the association between two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNAs and lung cancer susceptibility.

Results

Nine eligible articles were included, consisting of 3,101 cancer cases and 3,234 controls for miRNA-196a2 rs11614913, and 3,483 cases and 3,578 controls for miRNA-146a rs2910164. For studies evaluating miRNA-196a2 rs11614913, significant associations with lung cancer risk were discovered. Overall, the pooled analysis showed that miRNA-196a2 rs11614913 was associated with a decreased cancer risk (CC vs TT: OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.09–1.44; CT vs TT: OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.03–1.53). For miRNA-146a rs2910164, only the CC genotype was found to be associated with high lung cancer risk (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.13–1.49). Subgroup analyses based on ethnicity, source of control group, and country indicated that there were strong associations between miRNA-146a rs2910164 and cancer risk.

Conclusion

The results indicated that lung cancer risk was significantly associated with miRNA-196a2 rs11614913 and miRNA-146a rs2910164. These two common SNPs in miRNAs may be potential biomarkers of lung cancer.

Association of Three Polymorphisms rs11614913, rs2910146, and rs3746444 in miRNA-196a2, miRNA-146a, and miRNA-499 with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

It has been found that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of microRNA might be involved in the development of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). However, the related retrospective research has not been reported. In this work, we performed a meta-analysis to derive a more precise estimation of the associated relationship.

Methods

We searched the studies on the association of SNPs of microRNA with the hereditary susceptibility of IBD in PubMed and Embase; eligible research was selected by screening the abstract and full text. The meta-analysis was performed based on the statistical software Stata 14.0, and besides, the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated to evaluate the strength of the association.

Results

159 papers were acquired from the PubMed and Embase databases, and five eligible articles containing nine case-control studies were selected. In the study, we first found that the association between miRNA-196a2 rs11614913 and IBD was insignificant. Then, the susceptibility of miRNA-146a rs2910146 to IBD increased significantly in allelic comparison, homozygote model, heterozygote model, and dominant model. Moreover, a positive relationship between miRNA-499 rs3746444 and IBD was identified in the homozygote model.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrated that miRNA-146a rs2910146 (G>C) polymorphism was associated with the susceptibility to IBD and miRNA-196a2 rs11614913 (T>C) and miRNA-499 rs3746444 (A>G) did not reveal an obvious relationship with the IBD susceptibility.

rs11614913 polymorphism in miRNA-196a2 and cancer risk: an updated meta-analysis

Several epidemiological studies have reported that polymorphisms in microRNA-196a2 (miR-196a2) were associated with various cancers. However, the results remained unverified and were inconsistent in different cancers. Therefore, we carried out an updated meta-analysis to elaborate the effects of rs11614913 polymorphism on cancer susceptibility. A total of 84 articles with 35,802 cases and 41,541 controls were included to evaluate the association between the miR-196a2 rs11614913 and cancer risk by pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The results showed that miR-196a2 rs11614913 polymorphism is associated with cancer susceptibility, especially in lung cancer (homozygote comparison, OR =0.840, 95% CI =0.734-0.961; recessive model, OR =0.858, 95% CI =0.771-0.955), hepatocellular carcinoma (allelic contrast, OR =0.894, 95% CI =0.800-0.998; homozygote comparison, OR =0.900, 95% CI =0.813-0.997; recessive model, OR =0.800, 95% CI =0.678-0.944), and head and neck cancer (allelic contrast, OR =1.076, 95% CI =1.006-1.152; homozygote comparison, OR =1.214, 95% CI =1.043-1.413). In addition, significant association was found among Asian populations (allele model, OR =0.847, 95% CI =0.899-0.997, P=0.038; homozygote model, OR =0.878, 95% CI =0.788-0.977, P=0.017; recessive model, OR =0.895, 95% CI =0.824-0.972, P=0.008) but not in Caucasians. The updated meta-analysis confirmed the previous results that miR-196a2 rs11614913 polymorphism may serve as a risk factor for patients with cancers.

Increased Risk of Thai Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with the MiR196a2 T>C Polymorphism

Objectives:

This study assessed associations of the miR196a2 (rs11614913) T>C polymorphism withsusceptibility to childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and clinical outcomes.

Materials and Methods:

Blood DNA samples from 104 childhood ALL patients and 180 healthy children were studied for the miR-196a2 (rs11614913) polymorphism using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment-length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) approach.

Results:

The frequency of the miR-196a2 (rs11614913) T allele in controls was 0.51 compared with 0.33 in ALL cases. In this study, CC, TC heterozygote and CC/TC genotypes were significantly associated with increase childhood ALL susceptibility compared with the TT wild type (OR =4.321, 95% CI = 2.091-8.930 p=0.000, OR = 2.248, 95% CI =1.103-4.579, p=0.024, OR = 2.921, 95% CI = 1.504-5.673 p=0.001, respectively). However, the miR-196a2 (rs11614913) T>C polymorphism was not associated with demographic data or clinico-pathological data in ALL cases.

Conclusion:

CC, TC and CC+TC genotypes of miR-196a2 (rs11614913) was significantly associated with increased susceptibility in Thai childhood ALL but not with clinical variables.

Effects of common polymorphisms in miR-146a and miR-196a2 on lung cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) may play an important role in organ development, cell differentiation, apoptosis, proliferation, cell growth regulation and act as tumor suppressor genes or proto-oncogenes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNAs are considered to be genetic factors to influence the susceptibility to lung cancer (LC). Rs2910164 in miR-146a and rs11614913 in miR-196a2 are shown to be associated with increased/decreased LC risk. The aim of this meta-analysis was to systematically summarize the possible association.

METHODS

The relevant articles were retrieved from several important databases. Studies were selected using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the strength of association between miRNA polymorphism and susceptibility to LC. All analyses were performed using the Stata software.

RESULTS

Seven studies were included in this meta-analysis. There were 3,225 cases and 3,268 controls for SNP rs2910164 and 2,794 cases and 2,840 controls for SNP rs11614913. The significant associations between SNP rs2910164 and LC risk were observed (CC vs. GG: OR =1.30, 95% CI: 1.13-1.50; CC + GC vs. GG: OR =1.15, 95% CI: 1.02-1.29; CC vs. GC + GG: OR =1.27, 95% CI: 1.13-1.42; C vs. G: OR =1.15, 95% CI: 1.08-1.24). SNP rs11614913 was found to be associated with LC risk in most genetic models (TC vs. TT: OR =1.16, 95% CI: 1.02-1.32; CC vs. TT: OR =1.24, 95% CI: 1.06-1.44; CC + TC vs. TT: OR =1.19, 95% CI: 1.06-1.34; C vs. T: OR =1.11, 95% CI: 1.03-1.20). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, genotyping method and control characteristics, significantly affected LC risks were also suggested.

CONCLUSIONS

The rs2910164 in miR-146a and the rs11614913 in miR-196a2 are likely to be associated with LC risks.

A passenger strand variant in miR-196a2 contributes to asthma severity in children and adolescents: A preliminary study

There is emerging evidence to support the role of microRNAs in allergic airway diseases and inflammation. Genetic variants in microRNA genes might affect microRNA-mediated cell regulation. This preliminary study was designed to investigate the association of the microRNA-196a2 rs11614913 (C/T) polymorphism with susceptibility to asthma and clinical outcomes in children and adolescents. Genotyping of rs11614913 polymorphism was determined in 96 patients with bronchial asthma (6-18 years of age) and 96 unrelated controls, using real-time polymerase chain reaction technology. In-silico target prediction and network core analyses were performed. The asthmatics did not show significant differences in genotype distribution (p = 0.609) and allele frequencies (p = 0.428) compared with the controls. There were also no associations with disease duration, age at onset, asthma phenotype, asthma control, therapeutic level, airway hyper-responsiveness, or biochemical parameters in the blood. However, the CC genotype was associated with a more severe degree of asthma (p = 0. 023) and higher frequency of nocturnal asthma (p = 0.002). Carriers for CC were 17 times more likely to develop nocturnal asthma, and had a more than 2.5-fold increased risk for poor disease outcome compared with CT and TT individuals. In conclusion, microRNA-196a2 rs11614913 polymorphism might be associated with asthma severity in our sample of the Egyptian population. Further investigations in studies with a larger sample size and functional tests are needed to validate our findings and to explore the detailed biological mechanisms.

Association of MicroRNA-196a2 Variant with Response to Short-Acting β2-Agonist in COPD: An Egyptian Pilot Study

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a multifactorial chronic respiratory disease, characterized by an obstructive pattern. Understanding the genetic predisposition of COPD is essential to develop personalized treatment regimens. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, endogenous, non-coding RNAs that modulate the expression levels of specific proteins based on sequence complementarity with their target mRNA molecules. Emerging evidences demonstrated the potential use of miRNAs as a disease biomarker. This pilot study aimed to investigate the association of the MIR-196a2 rs11614913 (C/T) polymorphism with COPD susceptibility, the clinical outcome and bronchodilator response to short-acting β2-agonist. Genotyping of rs11614913 polymorphism was determined in 108 COPD male patients and 116 unrelated controls using real-time polymerase chain reaction technology. In silico target prediction and network core analysis were performed. COPD patients did not show significant differences in the genotype distribution (p = 0.415) and allele frequencies (p = 0.306) of the studied miRNA when compared with controls. There were also no associations with GOLD stage, dyspnea grade, disease exacerbations, COPD assessment test for estimating impact on health status score, or the frequency of intensive care unit admission. However, COPD patients with CC genotype corresponded to the smallest bronchodilator response after Salbutamol inhalation, the heterozygotes (CT) had an intermediate response, while those with the TT genotype showed the highest response (p < 0.001). In conclusion MIR-196a2 rs11614913 polymorphism is associated with the bronchodilator response of COPD in our sample of the Egyptian population, generating hypothesis of the potential use of MIR-196a2 variant as a pharmacogenetic marker for COPD.

Genetic variants in miR-196a2 and miR-499 are associated with susceptibility to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Chinese Han population

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the dominant type of esophageal cancer in the East Asian population. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been studied to play important roles in tumorigenesis. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNA lead to the aberrant expression and structural alteration of miRNA and are hypothesized to be involved in tumorigenesis and cancer development. We conducted a population-based case-control study to evaluate the association between SNPs in miRNAs and ESCC risk in 1400 ESCC cases and 2185 matched controls. Four SNPs including miR-196a2 rs11614913, miR-146a rs2910164, miR-499 rs3746444, and miR-423 rs6505162 were selected with comprehensive collection strategy and genotyped using the SNaPshot Multiplex System. Odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) were used to assess the strength of association. The CC genotype of miR-196a2 rs11614913 was significantly associated with an increased ESCC risk compared with the TT genotype (OR 1.11, 95 % CI 1.01-1.22, P 0.049) and the TT/TC genotypes (OR 1.09, 95 % CI 1.01-1.19, P 0.043). The association was more pronounced in non-drinkers in the recessive model (OR 1.13, 95 % CI 1.01-1.27, P 0.029). A significantly increased risk of ESCC associated with miR-499 rs3746444 polymorphism was evident among patients who never smoking and drinking. This study suggests that miR-196a2 rs11614913 and miR-499 rs3746444 are associated with an increased ESCC risk in a Chinese population.

Associations of Polymorphisms in mir-196a2, mir-146a and mir-149 with Colorectal Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs which act as tumor suppressors or oncogenes. And single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in miRNA regions is one type of genetic variations in human genome. Various studies have investigated the associations of miRNAs SNP and kinds of cancers. In this article, we searched eligible studies to explore the relationships between mir-196a2 /mir-146a /mir-149 polymorphisms and colorectal cancer (CRC). A literature search of PubMed, Web of Science and ScienceDirect was conducted to identify all relevant studies. Three genetic models with pooled ratio and 95% confidence interval were used to evaluate the associations. We found that mir-196a2 polymorphism was significantly associated with CRC in Asian group (additive model: OR = 1.197, 95%CI 1.084 ~ 1.32, P < 0.001; dominant model: OR = 1.247, 95%CI 1.065 ~ 1.46, P = 0.006; recessive model: OR = 1.298, 95%CI 1.101 ~ 1.531, P = 0.002). And no associations were observed between SNPs of mir-146a, mir-149 and CRC in three genetic models. We also found CRC risk was not associated with mir-146a and mir-149 polymorphisms in population subgroup analysis. The current meta-analysis suggests that mir-196a2 polymorphism is associated with CRC, especially in Asian group. While, no associations have been found between mir-146a /mir-149 polymorphisms and CRC.

The influence of XRCC1 genetic variants on lung cancer susceptibility in Chinese Han population

Growing evidence suggests that genetic variants of X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 proteins (XRCC1) contribute to genetic effects on the development of lung cancer. This case-control study aims to evaluate the genetic effects of XRCC1 c.482C>T and c.1686C>G single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on lung cancer susceptibility. 391 lung cancer patients and 398 cancer-free controls were enrolled in this study. The genotypes of c.482C>T and c.1686C>G genetic variants were detected by the created restriction site-polymerase chain reaction (CRS-PCR), PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing methods. The genetic effects on lung cancer susceptibility were evaluated using association analyses by the unconditional logistic regression model. Our data indicated that there were significant differences in the distribution of allelic and genotypic frequencies between lung cancer patients and cancer-free controls. The XRCC1 c.482C>T and c.1686C>G genetic variants were significantly associated with the susceptibility to lung cancer (for c.482C>T, TT versus (vs.) CC: OR=2.14, 95% CI 1.31-3.48, P=0.002; T vs. C: OR=1.37, 95% CI 1.10-1.69, P=0.004; for c.1686C>G, GG vs. CC: OR=2.53, 95% CI 1.46-4.38, P=0.001; G vs. C: OR=1.33, 95% CI 1.06-1.65, P=0.012). These preliminary results suggested that the XRCC1 c.482C>T and c.1686C>G genetic variants might play genetic effects on the susceptibility to lung cancer in the studied population.

Associations between three common MicroRNA polymorphisms and hepatocellular carcinoma risk in Chinese

AIM

Associations between polymorphisms in miR-146aG>C, miR-196a2C>T and miR-499A>G and risk of HCC, and interaction with HBV infection in a Chinese population, were the target of the present research.

METHODS

The duplex polymerase-chain-reaction with confronting-two-pair primers (PCR-RFLP) was performed to determine the genotypes of the miR-146aG>C, miR-196a2C>T and miR-499A>G genotypes. Associations of polymorphisms with the risk of HCC were estimated by conditional logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Drinking, family history of cancer, HBsAg and HCV were risk factors for HCC. Multivariate regression analyses showed that subjects carrying the miR-196a2 CC genotype had significantly increased risk of HCC, with an adjusted OR (95% CI) of 2.18 (1.23-3.80). In addition, cases carrying the miR-196a2 C allele had a 1.64-fold increase in the risk for HCC (95%CI=1.03-2.49). The miR-196a CT and TT genotypes greatly significantly increased the risk of HCC in subjects with HBV infection, with adjusted ORs (95% CI) of 2.02 (1.12-3.68) and 2.69 (1.28-5.71), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate that miR-196a2 CC genotype and C allele have an important role in HCC risk in Chinese, especially in patients with HBV infection.

The impact of pri-miR-218 rs11134527 on the risk and prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

MicroRNA-218 (miR-218) acts as a tumor suppressor in numerous types of cancer by regulation of the expression of target genes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether polymorphisms in miR-218 LAMB3 pathway were associated with the risk and prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Pri-mir-218 rs11134527 and LAMB3 rs2566 were genotyped in ESCC patients and 745 controls to assess their associations with cancer risk and overall survival. Pri-mir-218 rs11134527 was significantly associated with a decreased risk of ESCC under codominant, recessive and additive models. Although there was a significant association between rs11134527 and better survival of ESCC patients under codominant, recessive and additive models, the association disappeared after adjustment for TNM and LNM. However, further stratified analysis revealed that the association remained significant in patients with TNM stages I and II or non-LNM. Our data suggest that pri-miR-218 rs11134527 may contribute to the genetic susceptibility and prognosis for ESCC in Chinese Han population.

Association between four common microRNA polymorphisms and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and HBV infection

microRNAs (miR/miRNAs) have been demonstrated to function as tumor suppressors and oncogenes, and miRNA polymorphisms may have a role in cancer development. The present study aimed to investigate the association between the miR-146aG>C, miR-149C>T, miR-196a2C>T and miR-499A>G polymorphisms and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. A total of 271 patients with HCC and 532 healthy control participants were enrolled in the present study. miR-146aG>C, miR-149C>T, miR-196a2C>T and miR-499A>G polymorphisms were genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. A significant difference was identified in the genotype frequency of miR-196a2C>T in the patients in the case group compared with the control group (χ²=6.88; P=0.032). Compared with the CC genotype, the miR-196a2 TT genotype was associated with a significantly reduced risk of HCC [odds ratio (OR), 0.62; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.38–0.99], and a significantly reduced risk was also found in the dominant (OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.49–0.98) and recessive (OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.46–1.02) models. Moreover, individuals with HBV who were carrying the miR-196a2 CT and TT genotypes had a significantly reduced risk of HCC (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.41–0.95; and OR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.20–0.73, respectively). In conclusion, the present study found that the miR-196a2C>T polymorphism has a protective effect in patients with HCC, particularly in those with HBV infection.

Novel insights into miRNA in lung and heart inflammatory diseases

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding regulatory sequences that govern posttranscriptional inhibition of genes through binding mainly at regulatory regions. The regulatory mechanism of miRNAs are influenced by complex crosstalk among single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within miRNA seed region and epigenetic modifications. Circulating miRNAs exhibit potential characteristics as stable biomarker. Functionally, miRNAs are involved in basic regulatory mechanisms of cells including inflammation. Thus, miRNA dysregulation, resulting in aberrant expression of a gene, is suggested to play an important role in disease susceptibility. This review focuses on the role of miRNA as diagnostic marker in pathogenesis of lung inflammatory diseases and in cardiac remodelling events during inflammation. From recent reports, In this context, the information about the models in which miRNAs expression were investigated including types of biological samples, as well as on the methods for miRNA validation and prediction/definition of their gene targets are emphasized in the review. Besides disease pathogenesis, promising role of miRNAs in early disease diagnosis and prognostication is also discussed. However, some miRNAs are also indicated with protective role. Thus, identifications and usage of such potential miRNAs as well as disruption of disease susceptible miRNAs using antagonists, antagomirs, are imperative and may provide a novel therapeutic approach towards combating the disease progression.

Association between microRNA polymorphisms and cancer risk based on the findings of 66 case-control studies

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules, which participate in diverse biological processes and may regulate tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNA may contribute to diverse functional consequences, including cancer development, by altering miRNA expression. Numerous studies have shown the association between miRNA SNPs and cancer risk; however, the results are generally debatable and inconclusive, mainly due to limited statistical power. To assess the relationship between the five most common SNPs (miR-146a rs2910164, miR-196a2 rs11614913, miR-499 rs3746444, miR-149 rs2292832, and miR-27a rs895919) and the risk cancer development, we performed a meta-analysis of 66 published case-control studies. Crude odds ratios at 95% confidence intervals were used to investigate the strength of the association. No association was observed between rs2910164 and cancer risk in the overall group. However, in stratified analysis, we found that either the rs2910164 C allele or the CC genotype was protective against bladder cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, and colorectal cancer, whereas it was a risk factor for papillary thyroid carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Further, rs11614913 was found to be significantly associated with decreased cancer risk, in particular, for bladder cancer, gastric cancer, and SCCHN. For miR-499, a significant association was found between the rs3746444 polymorphism and cancer risk in pooled analysis. In subgroup analysis, similar results were mainly observed for breast cancer. Finally, no association was found between rs2292832 and rs895919 polymorphisms and cancer risk in the overall group and in stratified analysis. In summary, miR-196a2 rs11614913, miR-146a rs2910164, and miR-499 rs3746444 are risk factors for cancer development, whereas mir-149 rs2292832 and miR-27a rs895919 are not associated with cancer risk.

MicroRNA-related sequence variations in human cancers

MicroRNAs are emerging as a most promising field in basic and translational research, explaining the pathogenesis of numerous human diseases and providing excellent tools for their management. This review considers the effects of microRNA sequence variations and their implication in pathogenesis and predisposition to human cancers. Although the role of microRNAs still remains to be elucidated, functional, and populational studies indicate that microRNA variants are important factors underlying the process of carcinogenesis. Further understanding of the cellular and molecular basis of microRNA action will lead to the identification of their new target genes and microRNA-regulated pathways. As a consequence, novel models of cancer pathogenesis can be proposed, and serve as a basis for elucidation of new prognostic and diagnostic tools for human cancers.

miR-146a gene polymorphism rs2910164 and the risk of digestive tumors: A meta-analysis of 21 case-control studies

Digestive tumors have the highest incidence among all tumor types worldwide. miR-146a has been shown to play an important role in the development, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis of digestive tumors. Additionally, a miR-146a gene polymorphism has been associated with the risk of a variety of cancer types in the digestive system. Therefore, in order to investigate the correlation, a meta-analysis of reported data was conducted, for which we obtained 21 research studies concerning the association between the miR-146a gene polymorphism and digestive tumors. Odds ratio (OR) values and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were used to assess this association. We found that the miR-146a polymorphism rs2910164 might significantly increase the susceptibility of digestive tumors, in particular for esophageal cancer and colorectal cancers. Furthermore, the miR-146a polymorphism might significantly increase the risk of digestive tumors in Asians. However, no obvious correlation between the polymorphism and the risk for digestive tumors was found in Caucasians.