Association between polymorphisms in pre-miRNA genes and risk of oral squamous cell cancer in a Chinese population

Potential impact of micro-196a2 and Toll-like receptor 2 gene polymorphisms on oral cancer prognosis and susceptibility

OBJECTIVE

Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment in recent years, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is still associated with a high recurrence rate and poor survival. MiR-196a2 and TLR2 have been implicated in cancer progression and prognosis, but the significance of their genetic variants in OSCC remains unelucidated.

DESIGN

This study investigated the miR-196a2 rs11614913 and TLR2 rs5743708 genetic variants in Caucasian HPV-negative OSCC patients (n = 95) and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 108) using real-time PCR. An assessment was conducted on their association with clinicopathological features, overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS) and OSCC risk.

RESULTS

OSCC patients carrying the miR-196a2 rs11614913 TT genotype had a higher risk of tumor recurrence (P = 0.045) and shorter RFS (P = 0.041). The proportional hazards assumption was violated for tumor stage. Stage-stratified Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that miR-196a2 rs11614913 genotypes and combined CC+CT vs. TT variants significantly affected RFS in stage I/II OSCC patients (P = 0.012 and P = 0.003, respectively), but not in advanced stage III/IV patients (P = 0.545 and P = 0.287, respectively). Cox regression confirmed miR-196a2 rs11614913 as an independent predictor of RFS in early stage (HR=3.407, P = 0.015), but not in advance stage patients (HR=1.090, P = 0.711). No significant associations with OS were found. Additionally, the TLR2 rs5743708 variant allele A was significantly associated with a lower risk of OSCC (Adjusted OR=0.406, P = 0.013).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that miR-196a2 rs11614913 could play a stage-dependent role in RFS, influencing early-stage OSCC but losing prognostic significance in advanced disease. Additionally, TLR2 rs5743708 may contribute to the decreased OSCC risk.

The Role of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in MicroRNA Genes in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas: Susceptibility and Prognosis

BACKGROUND

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide. The identification of molecular alterations adding to the individual risk of HNSCC development and progression is one of the most important challenges in studies on cancer genetics. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which belong to the group of important post-transcriptional regulators of human gene expression, seem to be valuable options for consideration as key modifiers of individual cancer risk, and therefore may be helpful in predicting inter-individual differences in cancer risk, response to treatment and prognosis.

METHODS

There have not been many studies focused on the relationship between miRNA variants and HNSCC published in PubMed within the last 15 years. We found and analyzed 30 reviews, meta-analyses and research papers and revealed 14 SNPs which have been reported as significant in the context of HNSCC susceptibility and/or prognosis.

RESULTS

These 14 SNPs were located in 13 separate miRNAs. Among them, four were the most frequently studied (miRNA-146, -196, -149 and -499) and have been shown to have the greatest impact on the course of HNSCC. However, the presented results have been conflicting.

CONCLUSIONS

It must be concluded that, despite the years of studies, there are no conclusive reports demonstrating a significant role of SNPs in miRNAs in the context of the susceptibility to HNSCC or its prognosis.

Rs3746444 T>C locus in miR-499 increases the susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma: A meta-analysis 14812 subjects

BACKGROUND

Recently, many investigations have suggested that the rs3746444 T>C locus in the microRNA (miR)-499 gene may contribute to the occurrence of cancer. However, reports on the association between rs3746444 and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are conflicting.

AIM

To further understand and explore the potential correlation between the single-nucleotide polymorphism of rs3746444 and the incidence of HCC.

METHODS

In this meta-analysis, we obtained electronic literature by searching the PubMed, Embase and Chinese BioMedical Disc databases (through May 20, 2022). All eligible case-control, prospective cohort or nested case-control studies with sufficient data for calculating the odds ratios with their 95% confidence intervals were included.

RESULTS

Ultimately, a total of 17 independent studies were included. We identified that rs3746444 was associated with the development of HCC (C vs T: P = 0.019 and CC/CT vs TT: P = 0.016). In Asian individuals, rs3746444 was associated with susceptibility to HCC (C vs T: P = 0.013 and CC/CT vs TT: P = 0.016). In addition, this study identified that the miR-499 rs3746444 locus was associated with susceptibility to HCC in the normal/healthy control subgroup (C vs T: P = 0.034 and CC/CT vs TT: P = 0.024).

CONCLUSION

In summary, this meta-analysis highlights that rs3746444 in the miR-499 gene is involved in the occurrence of HCC, especially in Asian individuals.

Effect of miR-196a2 rs11614913 Polymorphism on Cancer Susceptibility: Evidence From an Updated Meta-Analysis

Background:MiR-196a2 rs11614913 polymorphism has been studied in a wide range of cancers throughout the years. Despite a large number of epidemiological studies performed in almost all ethnic populations, the contribution of this polymorphism to cancer risk is still inconclusive. Therefore, this updated meta-analysis was performed to estimate a meticulous correlation between miR-196a2 rs11614913 variant and cancer susceptibility. Methods: A systematic study search was carried out using PubMed, ScienceDirect, CNKI, EMBASE, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases following PRISMA guidelines to find necessary literature up to December 15, 2021. Pooled odds ratios with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were estimated using RevMan 5.4 based on ethnicities, cancer types, control sources, and genotyping methods. Results: A total of 152 studies, including 120 135 subjects (53 818 patients and 66 317 controls; 140 studies, after removing studies that deviated from HWE: 51 459 cases and 62 588 controls), were included in this meta-analysis. Quantitative synthesis suggests that the miR-196a2 rs11614913 genetic variant is significantly correlated with the reduced risk of overall cancer in CDM2, CDM3, RM, and AM (odds ratio < 1 and P < .05). It is also observed from ethnicity-based subgroup analysis that rs11614913 polymorphism is significantly (P < .05) linked with cancer in the Asian (in CDM2, CDM3, RM, AM) and the African population (in CDM1, CDM3, ODM). Stratified analysis based on the cancer types demonstrated a significantly decreased correlation for breast, hepatocellular, lung, and gynecological cancer and an increased association for oral and renal cell cancer. Again, the control population-based subgroup analysis reported a strongly reduced correlation for HB population in CDM2, RM, and AM. A substantially decreased risk was also observed for other genotyping methods in multiple genetic models. Conclusions:MiR-196a2 rs11614913 variant is significantly correlated with overall cancer susceptibility. Besides, rs11614913 is correlated with cancer in Asians and Africans. It is also correlated with breast, gynecological, hepatocellular, lung, oral, and renal cell cancer.

The relationship between polymorphisms of microRNA and preeclampsia: A protocol for meta-analysis and bioinformatics prediction

BACKGROUND

Preeclampsia has genetic correlation. Many studies have shown that microRNA (miRNA) polymorphism is highly associated with preeclampsia, but the results are inconsistent. The purpose of this study is to systematically evaluate the relationship between miRNA polymorphism and preeclampsia.

METHODS

In this study, the search time is set from the establishment of the database on January 2021. The search database include China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, VIP and China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. The subjects are case-control studies on the relationship between miRNA polymorphism and preeclampsia. The language is limited to English and Chinese. The data of the included study are extracted and the literature quality is evaluated by 2 researchers independently. The data are statistically analyzed through Stata 16.0 software. We also predicted the miRNA secondary structure and the binding sites of miRNA interaction with its target genes.

RESULTS

This review will be disseminated in print by peer-review.

CONCLUSION

This study will provide evidence-based medicine to elucidate the genetic tendency of preeclampsia.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Private information from individuals will not be published. This systematic review also does not involve endangering participant rights. Ethical approval will not be required. The results may be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated at relevant conferences.

OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER

DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/MJY2X.

microRNAs deregulation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck (HN) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the eighth most common human cancer worldwide. Besides tobacco and alcohol consumption, genetic and epigenetic alterations play an important role in HNSCC occurrence and progression. microRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate cell cycle, proliferation, development, differentiation, and apoptosis by interfering in gene expression. Expression profiling of miRNAs showed that some miRNAs are upregulated or downregulated in tumor cells when compared with the normal cells. The present review focuses on the role of miRNAs deregulations in HNSCC, enrolled in risk, development, outcome, and therapy sensitivity. Moreover, the influence of single nucleotide variants in miRNAs target sites, miRNAs seed sites, and miRNAs-processing genes in HNSCC was also revised. Due to its potential for cancer diagnosis, progression, and as a therapeutic target, miRNAs may bring new perspectives in HNSCC understanding and therapy, especially for those patients with no or insufficient treatment options.

MiRNA-146a rs2910164 Confers a Susceptibility to Digestive System Cancer: A Meta-Analysis Involving 59,098 Subjects

BACKGROUND

MicroRNA (miR)-146a might participate in the occurrence of malignant tumor. The aim of the current investigation was to evaluate the relationship of microRNA-146a (miR-146a) rs2910164 C > G locus to the development of digestive system cancer (DSC).

METHODS

We retrieved publications from PubMed, China Biology Medicine and EMBASE databases up to August 29, 2019. Finally, 56 independent case-control studies with 59,098 participants were included. The strength of the relationship between rs2910164 locus and a risk of DSC was assessed. The power value was also calculated in this study.

RESULTS

We identified a correlation of rs2910164 locus in miR-146a with DSC development in dominant model (P = .035; power value = 0.994). MiR-146a rs2910164 locus was also identified to be correlated with a risk of DSC in Asians (GG/CG vs. CC: P = .033; power value = 0.989). Sensitivity analysis revealed that any individual study could not alter the final decision. In our study, no significant bias was found among these included studies (P > .1). The results of heterogeneity analysis suggested that small sample size (<1000 subjects), colorectal carcinoma, Asians, gastric carcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, hepatocellular cancer, hospital-based study and high-quality score (≥7.0) subgroups contributed the heterogeneity to our findings. Galbraith radial plot determined that eleven outliers contributed to the main heterogeneity.

CONCLUSION

In summary, this meta-analysis highlights that rs2910164 locus might be implicated in the risk of DSC. More studies are, therefore, needed to confirm our results.

MicroRNAs in oral cancer: Biomarkers with clinical potential

Oral cancer is the sixteenth most common cancer globally, with a relatively poor five-year survival rate of 50%. Thus it is imperative to understand the biology of oral cancer and examine alternative prognostic and therapeutic targets for oral cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs mediating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level through mRNA degradation or translational repression. miRNAs play an essential role in cancer development and oncogenic cell processes. miRNA deregulation is observed in oral cancer and associated with prognosis. However, the role of miRNAs and their clinical implications in oral cancer is not clear. The current review highlights the miRNA profile of oral cancer and discusses the diagnostic, prognostic and potential therapeutic targets with clinical implications. miRNAs mediate activation or suppression of signalling pathways associated with oral cancer. Hence, a panel of select deregulated miRNAs may indicate clinicopathological features, personalised treatment outcome and provide novel lead profiles of oral cancer. The translational applications of miRNAs may lead to better management and survival of oral cancer patients. The compiled data provides a platform for consideration of miRNA signatures as potential biomarkers for early oral cancer diagnosis, prognosis and as novel molecular therapies.

Association of the mir-499 polymorphisms with oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in an Iranian population

BACKGROUND

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common oral malignancy. Some evidence indicated that there is a correlation between microRNA single nucleotide polymorphisms and the risk of oral cancer. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between mir-499 polymorphism with the risk of oral cavity and oropharyngeal SCC in a subset of Iranian Population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this case-control pilot study total of 112 participants including 56 histopathlogically confirmed oral and oropharyngeal SCC patients and 56 age- and sex-matched controls were included The mir-499 rs3746444 T/C polymorphism was detected using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The comparisons of the distribution of the allele and genotype frequencies were performed using Chi-square test, and P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

RESULTS

The result of the present study indicated that the frequency distribution of mir-499 was not significantly different between cases and controls (P > 0.05). We also did not find any significant association between the risk of the cancer and mir-499 polymorphisms in the recessive (Odds ratio [OR]: 6.60; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.77-56.74; P = 0.11) and dominant (OR: 1; 95% CI: 0.37-2.74; P = 1) inheritance models even after adjustment for smoking.

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study indicated that the polymorphisms of mir-499 are not associated with the risk of oral and oropharyngeal SCC in Iranian population. However, further large scale studies are needed to validate our findings.

Association of mir-196a-2 rs11614913 and mir-149 rs2292832 Polymorphisms With Risk of Cancer: An Updated Meta-Analysis

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that functional dysregulations of miRNAs, especially miR-196a-2 and miR-149, in cancers could be attributed to polymorphisms in miRNA sequences. This study was aimed at clarifying the association of mir-196a-2 rs11614913 and mir-149 rs2292832 with cancer risk by performing an updated meta-analysis of genetic association studies. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases were searched until 9 April 2018 to identify eligible studies. Studies should meet the following criteria to be included in the meta-analysis: evaluation of genetic association between rs11614913 and/or rs2292832 and susceptibility to cancer; A case-control design; Written in English; Availability of sufficient data for estimating odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (95%CI). Studies that met the following criteria were excluded: review articles, meta-analysis, abstracts or conference papers; duplicate publications; studies on animals or cell-lines; studies without a case-control design; studies that did not report genotype frequencies. Pooled ORs and 95% CIs were estimated using a total of 111 studies (41,673 cases and 49,570 controls) for mir-196a rs11614913 and 44 studies (15,954 cases and 19,594 controls) for mir-149 rs2292832. Stratified analysis according to quality scores, genotyping method, ethnicity, broad cancer category and cancer type was also performed. Results: Mir-196a-2 rs11614913 T allele was associated with decreased cancer risk in overall population. The association was only significant in Asians but not Caucasians. In subgroup analysis, significant associations were found in high quality studies, gynecological cancers, ovarian, breast, and hepatocellular cancer. Mir-149 rs2292832 was not associated with cancer risk in overall population and there were no differences between Asians and Caucasians. However, the T allele was associated with a decrease risk of gastrointestinal tract cancers under the heterozygote model and an increased risk of colorectal cancer under the recessive model. Conclusions: The present meta-analysis suggests that mir-196a-2 rs11614913 may contribute to the risk of cancer especially in Asians. Mir-149 rs2292832 may modulate the risk of gastrointestinal tract cancers especially colorectal cancer. This study had some limitations such as significant heterogeneity in most contrasts, limited number of studies enrolling Africans or Caucasians ancestry and lack of adjustment for covariates and environmental interactions.

miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism increased the risk of esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma: a case-control study involving 2,740 participants

Purpose

The miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism may contribute to the development of cancer. However, the association between this polymorphism and the risk of esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma (EGJA) remains unclear. In the present study, we carried out a case–control study to explore the potential relationship between miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism and EGJA risk.

Patients and methods

In total, 1,063 EGJA patients and 1,677 cancer-free controls were enrolled. The SNPscan^™ genotyping assay, a patented technology, was used to test the genotyping of miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism.

Results

We found that miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism was associated with a risk of developing EGJA (additive model: adjusted odds ratio (OR), 1.27; 95% CI, 1.07–1.51; P=0.006; homozygote model: adjusted OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.03–1.65; P=0.027 and dominant model: adjusted OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.15–1.60; P<0.001). After adjustment for the Bonferroni correction, these associations were also found in additive and dominant genetic models. In the subgroup analyses, after adjustment by sex, age, alcohol consumption, and smoking status, results of multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism increased the risk of EGJA in males, females, <64 years old, ≥64 years old, never smoking, and never drinking subgroups.

Conclusion

The current study highlights that the miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism increased the risk of EGJA in eastern Chinese Han population.

A Meta-Analysis of miR-499 rs3746444 Polymorphism for Cancer Risk of Different Systems: Evidence From 65 Case-Control Studies

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous, short and non-coding RNAs that may play important roles in the pathogenesis of tumor. The associations between microRNA-499 rs3746444 polymorphism and cancer risk in different systems remain inconclusive. This article is aimed to obtain more exact estimation of these relationships through a meta-analysis based on 52,456 individuals. We retrieved relevant and eligible studies from Pubmed and Embase database up to January 10, 2018. ORs and 95% CIs were used to estimate the associations between miR-499 polymorphism and cancer susceptibility in different systems. All analyses were performed using the Stata 11.0 software. A total of 65 case-control studies were retrieved using explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study included 23,762 cases and 28,694 controls. Overall cancer analysis showed the association between miR-499 polymorphism and susceptibility to cancer was significant. MicroRNA-499 rs3746444 was found to be significantly associated with increased risk of cancer of the respiratory system (CC vs. TT: OR = 1.575, 95% CI = 1.268–1.955, CC vs. TC+TT: OR = 1.527, 95% CI = 1.232–1.892), digestive system (CC vs. TT: OR = 1.153, 95% CI = 1.027–1.295; TC vs. TT: OR = 1.109, 95% CI = 1.046–1.176; CC+TC vs. TT: OR = 1.112, 95% CI = 1.018–1.216; CC vs. TC+TT: OR = 1.137, 95% CI = 1.016–1.272; C vs. T: OR = 1.112, 95% CI = 1.025–1.206), urinary system (TC vs. TT: OR = 1.307, 95% CI = 1.130–1.512; CC+TC vs. TT: OR = 1.259, 95% CI = 1.097–1.446; C vs. T: OR = 1.132, 95% CI = 1.014–1.264), and gynecological system (C vs. T: OR = 1.169, 95% CI = 1.002–1.364). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, the result showed that significant association with an increased cancer risk was found in Asian. Subgroup analysis based on type of tumor was also performed, miR-499 rs3746444 is associated with susceptibility of cervical squamous cell carcinoma, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Polymorphisms in four microRNAs and risk of oral squamous cell cancer: a meta-analysis

Objectives

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in microRNAs (microRNA-196a2 rs11614913, microRNA-146a rs2910164, microRNA-149 rs2292832 and microRNA-499 rs3746444) have been inconsistently associated with risk for oral squamous cell cancer (OSCC). This meta-analysis aimed to assess the correlation between microRNA polymorphisms and susceptibility to OSCC.

Materials and Methods

Free words were used to search for the relevant studies without language limitations in electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and SCOPUS through June 15, 2017. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to investigate the effects of microRNA polymorphisms on oral cancer risk.

Results

Eleven studies were included. Analysis under the recessive model of microRNA-146a (CC vs GG+CG) showed significant differences (ORs = 0.874, P = 0.041). The G allele and the GG genotype of microRNA-499 were associated with OSCC risk (ORs >1, P < 0.05). MicroRNA-196a2 rs11614913 and microRNA-149 polymorphisms appeared to have no relationship with OSCC risk (P > 0.05). In the sensitivity analysis, there was a significant association between the TT genotype of microRNA-196a2 and OSCC risk (TT vs TC + CC, ORs < 1, P < 0.05).

Conclusions

There may be no significant relationship between microRNA-149 polymorphisms and OSCC risk, and the CC genotype of microRNA-146a may have protective effects against oral cancer. However, the G allele and the GG genotype of microRNA-499 may increase OSCC risk.