Association study between miR-149 gene polymorphism and nasopharyngeal carcinoma

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.

The association between genetic variation rs2292832 and the processing efficiency of pre-mir-149 affects the risk of breast cancer

BACKGROUND

microRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in regulating cancer development, including breast cancer. Variation in miRNA genes can associate with the risk of cancer by alterations in the miRNA's processing and maturation. Therefore, human blood samples and breast cancer cell line (MCF7) were analyzed to study any possible association between the genetic variant (rs2292832) in the miR-149 precursor and breast cancer susceptibility.

METHODS

To study the role of rs2292832 polymorphism in breast cancer, the miR-149 gene variant was genotyped using PCR-RFLP. For evaluating the effect of SNP on function and expression levels of mature miR-149, we inserted pre-miR-149 and flanking region with CC or TT genotype into a pEGFPN1 expression vector, and qPCR was accomplished. Cell survival, proliferation, and migration properties investigated by MTT and wound healing assay. Statistical analysis was carried out for data analysis.

RESULTS

T allele in variant rs2292832 is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Such association was also obtained in co-dominant (OR = 2.5) and dominant (OR = 2.016) models. The variant allele led to reduced production of mature miR-149 and resulted in increased cell proliferation and migration of MCF7 cells.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that miR-149 suppresses tumor cell proliferation, and the pre-mir-149 polymorphism affects the processing of miR-149, causing an alteration in the abundance of the miRNA mature form, which can regulate tumor progression and metastasis.

Genetic predisposition of SNPs in miRNA-149 (rs2292832) and FOXE1 (rs3758249) in thyroid Cancer

BACKGROUND

Many efforts have been made in recent years to investigate the alterations in protein-coding genes as well as non-coding RNAs that are playing an emerging role in the development and progression of cancers. These miRNAs are short non-coding functional RNAs that are involved in the regulation of transcriptome. In different studies, it was found that human miRNA-149 is an important microRNA that is functioning either as onco-miRNAs or acting as tumor suppressors, in different conditions.

RATIONALE

Many of the miRNAs are regulating different SNPs of FOXE1 in different studies which are causing low-to-moderate penetrance of genes that initiates the development of thyroid cancer. The involvement of SNPs in miRNA-149 gene rs2292832 and FOXE1 rs3758249 with PTC for better disease prognosis and management was determined in this study and the relation between these SNPs at the genotypic level was also evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PTC patients with age and gender-matched controls were recruited in the present study. Blood samples were collected in EDTA vacutainer followed by DNA extraction by the organic method. Genotyping of rs2292832 and rs3758249 was done by ARMS-PCR and PCR- RFLP respectively. Statistical analyses were carried out by using SPSS software (version 20).

RESULTS

The mutation T>C in miRNA-149 rs2292832 was significantly associated with thyroid cancer (p-value 0.0004, < 0.05) while rs3758249 G>C did not show significant association with the disease (p-value 0.124244, > 0.05). Moreover, no correlation of rs2292832 at the genotype level was observed with rs3758249.

CONCLUSIONS

miRNA-149 gene SNP rs2292832 was observed in strong association with thyroid cancer. Lack of genetic association of rs3758249 of FOXE1 gene has been ruled for the disease. The statistically significant association of rs2292832 with thyroid cancer depicts its mechanistic involvement at the cellular level in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

Polymorphisms in miRNAs Gene (146a, 149, 196a) and Susceptibility to ARV-associated Hepatotoxicity

Background:

Micro RNAs act as a regulatory layer for pharmacogenomics-related gene ex-pression. It could play a role in the efficacy and toxicity of the drug. The SNPs in miRNA genes are linked with different functional consequences.

Methods:

Hence, we examined the miR (146a G/C, 149C/T, and 196aC/T) polymorphisms in 34 pa-tients with hepatotoxicity, 123 patients without hepatotoxicity, and 155 healthy controls using a PCR-RFLP method.

Results:

In patients with hepatotoxicity, miR196aCT genotype and combined genotype GCT showed a risk for hepatotoxicity severity with borderline significance (OR=2.08, P=0.07; OR=2.88, P=0.06). While comparing between patients with hepatotoxicity and healthy controls, the combined genotypes CCC and GCT have shown a susceptibility to hepatotoxicity severity (OR=2.89, P=0.05; OR=2.60, P=0.09). The miR196TT genotype was associated with the individuals of advanced HIV disease stage (OR=3.68, P=0.04). In HIV patients who consumed alcohol and did not have hepatotoxicity, the miR 196aCT genotype showed susceptibility to acquisition of hepatotoxicity with borderline significance (OR=2.36, P=0.06).

Discussion:

The miR149TT and 196aTT genotypes showed a risk of acquisition of hepatotoxicity to nevirapine usage among HIV patients without hepatotoxicity (OR=4.19, P=0.07; OR=1.97, P=0.84). In HIV patients with and without hepatotoxicity, the miR 196aCT genotype showed a risk of acquisition of hepatotoxicity and its severity to the combined use of alcohol and nevirapine, respectively (OR=14.18, P=0.08; OR=2.29, P=0.08). In multivariate logistic regression, taking nevirapine, 196aCT genotype had an independent risk factor for hepatotoxicity severity (OR=5.98, P=0.005; OR=2.38, P=0.05).

Conclusion: In conclusion, miR196aC/T polymorphism and combined genotypes GCT and CCC may facilitate the risk for acquisition of hepatotoxicity and its severity

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.

The regulatory network of nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis with a focus on EBV, lncRNAs and miRNAs

Metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains a main cause of death for NPC patients even though great advances have been made in therapeutic approaches. An in-depth study into the molecular mechanisms of NPC metastasis will help us combat NPC. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is an evident feature of nonkeratinizing NPC and is strongly associated with tumor metastasis. Recently, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) have become a hot topic of research due to their epigenetic regulatory roles in NPC metastasis. The EBV products, lncRNAs and miRNAs can target each other and share several common signaling pathways, which form an interconnected, complex molecular regulatory network. In this review, we discuss the features of this regulatory network and summarize the molecular mechanisms of NPC metastasis, focusing on EBV, lncRNAs and miRNAs with updated knowledge.

Dinitrosopiperazine-decreased PKP3 through upregulating miR-149 participates in nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has a high metastatic clinicopathological feature. As a carcinogen factor, N,N'-dinitrosopiperazine (DNP) is involved in NPC metastasis, but its precise mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Herein, we showed that DNP promotes NPC metastasis through upregulating miR-149. DNP was found to decrease Plakophilin3 (PKP3) expression, further DNP-decreased PKP3 was verified to be through upregulating miR-149. We also found that DNP induced proliferation, adhesion, migration and invasion of NPC cell, which was inhibited by miR-149-inhibitor. DNP may promote NPC metastasis through miR-149-decreased PKP3 expression. Therefore, DNP-increased miR-149 expression may be an important factor of NPC high metastasis, and miR-149 may serve as a molecular target for anti-metastasis therapy of NPC.

miR-149 in Human Cancer: A Systemic Review

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate post-transcriptional gene expression via binding to the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of targeted mRNAs. They are reported to play important roles in tumorigenesis and progression of various cancers. Among them, miR-149 was confirmed to be aberrantly regulated in various tumors. In this review, we provide a complex overview of miR-149, particularly summarize the critical roles of it in cancers and expect to lay the foundation for future works on this important microRNA.

Systematic evaluation of cancer risk associated with rs2292832 in miR‑149 and rs895819 in miR‑27a: a comprehensive and updated meta‑analysis

The aim of this study is to provide a precise quantification for the association between miR-149 T > C (rs2292832) and miR-27a A > G (rs895819) and the risk of cancer. We conducted a systematic literature review and evaluated the quality of included studies based on Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to assess the strengths of the associations. We identified 40 studies for pooled analyses. Overall, the results demonstrated that the rs2292832 polymorphism was subtly decrease the risk of breast cancer (CT + CC vs TT: OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.70-0.98, P = 0.03; CC vs CT + TT: OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.68-0.93, P = 0.00), and the rs895819 polymorphism wasassociated with significantly increased cancer risk in the Asian population (AG + GG vs AA: OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.03-1.50, P = 0.02) and in colorectal cancer subgroup (GG vs AA: OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.10-1.92, P = 0.00; AG + GG vs AA: OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.15-1.58, P = 0.00; GG vs AG + AA: OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.04-1.77, P = 0.02). In addition, a subtly decreased risk was observed in the Caucasian population and in breast cancer subgroup. In conclusion, the rs2292832 polymorphism was significantly associated with increased breast cancer risk, and the rs895819 polymorphism contributes to the susceptibility of colorectal and breast cancer.

miRNA genetic variants: As potential diagnostic biomarkers for oral cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) comprise a novel class of small, non-coding endogenous RNAs that have a role in the plethora of regulatory activities by directing their target mRNAs for degradation or translational repression. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNA genes can lead to alteration in mRNA expression, resulting in serious consequences. Detection of miRNA-polymorphisms can potentially improve diagnosis, treatment, prognosis in patients and has extreme implications in the fields of pharmacogenomics and personalization of medicine. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between miR-499 A/G and miR-149 C/T polymorphisms with susceptibility to development of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). 200 histopathologically diagnosed and confirmed samples from OSCC patients and 200 control samples from the general population were recruited for the study. All OSCC patients were graded based on their differentiation, and genetic analysis was performed by PCR-RFLP and sequencing. qRT-PCR was carried out to compare the expression of miR-499 and miR-149 in different grades of various stages of OSCC patients concerning to the controls. Further Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to study the target gene of miR-499. The study shows a probable association of miR-499 A/G and miR-149 C/T with susceptibility of OSCC. Random sequencing analysis and Immunohistochemistry contribute to the result that miR-499 A/G increases the susceptibility of OSCC by targeting SOX-6. PCR- Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) and multivariable logistic analysis revealed that there is a significant association between miR-149 CT+TT and CT and susceptibility of OSCC. Our study suggests that miR-499 A/G and miR-149 C/T polymorphisms may play crucial roles in susceptibility and development of OSCC in Indian population.

Biological networks in Parkinson's disease: an insight into the epigenetic mechanisms associated with this disease

BACKGROUND

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders in the world. Studying PD from systems biology perspective involving genes and their regulators might provide deeper insights into the complex molecular interactions associated with this disease.

RESULT

We have studied gene co-expression network obtained from a PD-specific microarray data. The co-expression network identified 11 hub genes, of which eight genes are not previously known to be associated with PD. Further study on the functionality of these eight novel hub genes revealed that these genes play important roles in several neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, we have studied the tissue-specific expression and histone modification patterns of the novel hub genes. Most of these genes possess several histone modification sites those are already known to be associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Regulatory network namely mTF-miRNA-gene-gTF involves microRNA Transcription Factor (mTF), microRNA (miRNA), gene and gene Transcription Factor (gTF). Whereas long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) mediated regulatory network involves miRNA, gene, mTF and lncRNA. mTF-miRNA-gene-gTF regulatory network identified a novel feed-forward loop. lncRNA-mediated regulatory network identified novel lncRNAs of PD and revealed the two-way regulatory pattern of PD-specific miRNAs where miRNAs can be regulated by both the TFs and lncRNAs. SNP analysis of the most significant genes of the co-expression network identified 20 SNPs. These SNPs are present in the 3' UTR of known PD genes and are controlled by those miRNAs which are also involved in PD.

CONCLUSION

Our study identified eight novel hub genes which can be considered as possible candidates for future biomarker identification studies for PD. The two regulatory networks studied in our work provide a detailed overview of the cellular regulatory mechanisms where the non-coding RNAs namely miRNA and lncRNA, can act as epigenetic regulators of PD. SNPs identified in our study can be helpful for identifying PD at an earlier stage. Overall, this study may impart a better comprehension of the complex molecular interactions associated with PD from systems biology perspective.

Association of MiR-149 (RS2292832) Variant with the Risk of Coronary Artery Disease

Background

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cause of mortality and disability from incommunicable disease in the world. Although the association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in protein-coding genes and the risk of CAD has been investigated extensively, very few heart-disease associated studies concerning the SNPs in miRNA genes have been reported. The present study was performed to elucidate the association between the pre-microRNA-149 (miR-149) SNP rs2292832 and the risk of CAD in an Iranian population.

Methods

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) were performed to identify the genotypes of the miR-149 SNP rs2292832 in 421 unrelated subjects (272 with CAD and 149 controls).

Results

Our analysis revealed that the TT genotype was more frequent in CAD patients than control subjects (P=0.02) implying that TT genotype should be considered as a risk factor in CAD development (TT vs. TC+CC p=0.02, OR=1.88).

Conclusions

The present study suggests that rs2292832-TT in pre-miR-149 is associated with CAD in an Iranian population.

Genetic Variation in MicroRNAs and Risk of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in South Indian Population

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules, implicated in several activities like initiation, progression and prognosis of various cancers. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNA genes can lead to alteration in mRNA expression, resulting in diverse functional consequences. The aim of our study was to investigate the association of miR-149C>T and miR-196a2C>T SNPs with susceptibility to development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in South Indian subjects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

100 OSCC patients and 102 healthy controls from the general population were recruited for the study. Genetic analysis was performed by polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR/RFLP) as per a standard protocol.

RESULTS

The genotype frequencies in miR-196a2 polymorphism, of TT, CT and CC in the OSCC patients were 69%,10% and 22% respectively while for control group it was 80%, 15% and 5% respectively. The CC genotype of miR196a2 polymorphism was significantly associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma. The genotype frequencies in miR-149 polymorphisms of CC, CT and TT in the oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients were 72%, 22% and 6% respectively and for control group 88%, 12% and 0% respectively. CT and TT genotypes of miR149 polymorphism were found to be significantly associated with OSCC (p = 0.05 and 0.07).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggests that miR-196a2C>T and miR-149C>T polymorphisms may play crucial roles in the development of OSCC in South Indian subjects.

Tumor suppressor miR-149-5p is associated with cellular migration, proliferation and apoptosis in renal cell carcinoma

Several studies have recently explored the role of microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) in the tumorigenesis of various types of cancer. miRNAs have been reported to be involved in numerous cell processes, including cell apoptosis, proliferation and migration, thus suggesting that miRNAs may have an important role in cancer progression. Downregulation of miR-149-5p has been detected in RCC tissues by microarray profiling; however, its expression and function in RCC has yet to be elucidated. In the present study, reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect the expression levels of miR‑149‑5p in RCC tissues and paired normal tissues. In order to determine whether miR-149-5p was able to regulate cell proliferation, apoptosis or migration, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, flow cytometric and wound healing assays were conducted. The results demonstrated that miR‑149‑5p was significantly downregulated in RCC tissues compared with in normal tissues (P<0.05). The restoration of miR-149-5p expression using synthetic mimics suppressed cell proliferation and migration, and promoted cell apoptosis. These results indicated that miR‑149‑5p may act as a tumor suppressor in RCC. The present study is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to identify miR‑149‑5p as a tumor suppressor in RCC. Future studies will be focused on the potential role of miR‑149‑5p as a biomarker for the early detection and prognostic prediction of RCC, and as a therapeutic target in RCC. In addition, further exploration regarding the pathways underlying the effects of miR‑149‑5p in RCC is required.

GALNT7, a target of miR-494, participates in the oncogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

GalNAc-transferase-7 (GALNT7) is essential for the regulation of cell proliferation and has been implicated in tumorigenesis. However, the role of GALNT7 in the development and progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unclear. Our previous study showed that GALNT7 was a putative target of miR-494, which was confirmed by luciferase reporter assay. In the present study, we demonstrated that in vitro knockdown of GALNT7 significantly inhibited the proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of NPC-derived cells. In vivo tumorigenicity assay showed that miR-494 and GALNT7-small interfering RNA (siRNA) reduced tumor growth in nude mice. Taken together, our results provided new evidence for an oncogenic role of GALNT7 in NPC.

miR-491-5p suppresses cell growth and invasion by targeting Notch3 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have critical roles in the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a highly invasive and metastatic cancer that is widely prevalent in Southern China. miR-491-5p has been implicated in multiple types of cancer; however, its biological role and underlying mechanism in NPC have not been fully explored. In the present study, we found that miR-491-5p was downregulated in NPC tissues and cell lines compared with the corresponding normal counterparts. Overexpression of miR-491-5p significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Using miRNA target prediction algorithms and reporter assays, we showed that miR-491-5p suppressed Notch3 expression both at the mRNA and protein level through directly targeting the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of Notch3 mRNA. Overexpression of Notch3 significantly reversed the tumor-suppressive effects of miR‑491-5p. Taken together, the present study reveals a mechanistic link between miR-491-5p and Notch3 in the pathogenesis of NPC and that miR-491-5p has potential as a therapeutic target for NPC.

MicroRNA‑205 promotes the tumorigenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma through targeting tumor protein p53-inducible nuclear protein 1

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common type of cancer in southern China, miRNAs have been shown to be involved in the tumorigenesis of multiple cancer types. The present study aimed to explore the potential role of miR‑205 in NPC. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the expression levels of miR‑205 in 20 fresh NPC specimens and 20 normal nasopharyngeal tissues. The function of miR‑205 in the proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of NPC‑derived cells was detected by MTT assay, colony formation assay, wound healing assay, Transwell assay and flow cytometry. Furthermore, a target gene of miR‑205 was identified using the luciferase reporter assay. The expression of miR‑205 was increased in NPC tissues compared with that in normal tissues. Overexpression of miR‑205 was found to promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of NPC‑derived cells, while apoptosis was suppressed. Tumor protein p53-inducible nuclear protein 1 was identified as a target gene of miR‑205. Overall, the present study demonstrated that miR‑205 may function as an oncogene in NPC tumorigenesis.

The miR-149 rs2292832 T/C polymorphism may decrease digestive cancer susceptibility: an updated meta-analysis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short non-coding, single stranded RNAs, which perform post-transcriptional regulatory functions as tumor suppressors or oncogenes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRs genes are currently being identified for contributing to cancer risk, prognosis and survival, however, an association between miR-149 rs2292832 T/C SNP and cancer risk is uncertain. Therefore, we performed an updated meta-analysis of all currently publications to clarify this relationship. From PubMed and Chinese language (WanFang) databases, we located articles published up to June 1, 2015, obtaining 21 case-control studies from 20 different articles containing 8913 cases and 9944 controls based on search criteria for cancer susceptibility related to the miR-149 rs2292832 T/C SNP. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) revealed association strengths. There had no association between this SNP and whole cancer risk. At the same time, in several subgroups, also no association was found in ethnicity, sex and smoking status. Nevertheless, poorly significant association was detected in cancer type (Digestive cancer: OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.81-1.00, Pheterogeneity = 0.142 for CT vs. TT) and source of control (population-based: OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.00-1.32, Pheterogeneity = 0.427 for CC vs. CT+TT) subgroups. The miR-149 rs2292832 T/C SNP may poorly decrease digestive cancer risk. Studies with larger samples and gene-environment interactions are warranted to understand the role of miR-149 polymorphisms, especially rs2292832 T/C SNP, in whole cancer risk.

MiR-506 suppresses tumor proliferation and invasion by targeting FOXQ1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

MiRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that play important roles in various biological processes including tumorigenesis. However, little is known about the expression and function of miR-506 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this study, we showed that miR-506 was downregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell lines and tissues. Ectopic expression of miR-506 dramatically suppressed cell proliferation, colony formation and invasion. Moreover, we identified the Forkhead box Q1 (FOXQ1) gene as a novel direct target of miR-506. MiR-506 exerts its tumor suppressor function through inhibition of the FOXQ1, which was involved in tumor metastasis and proliferation in various cancers. Furthermore, the expression of FOXQ1 is up-regulated in NPC cell lines and tissues. Taken together, our results indicate that miR-506 functions as a tumor suppressor miRNA in NPC and that its suppressive effects are mediated chiefly by repressing FOXQ1 expression.

Cyclin D1 G870A polymorphism and risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a case-control study and meta-analysis

Background

Cyclin D1 (CCND1) plays a key role in cell cycle regulation. It is a well-established human oncogene which is frequently amplified or overexpressed in cancers. The association between CCND1 G870A polymorphism and cancer risk has been widely assessed. However, a definitive conclusion between CCND1 G870A polymorphism and risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains elusive.

Methods

We firstly performed a hospital-based case-control study involving 165 NPC cases and 191 cancer-free controls in central-south China, and then conducted a meta-analysis with six case-control studies to evaluate the association between NPC risk and CCND1 G870A polymorphism.

Results

The case-control study found a significant association between CCND1 G870A polymorphism and NPC risk in various comparison models (AA vs. GG: OR = 2.300, 95% CI 1.089–4.857, p = 0.029; AG vs. GG: OR = 2.832, 95% CI 1.367–5.867, p = 0.005; AA/AG vs. GG: OR = 2.597, 95% CI 1.288–5.237, p = 0.008; AA vs. AG/GG: OR = 0.984, 95% CI 0.638–1.518, p = 0.944). Further meta-analysis showed that there was no significant association between CCND1 G870A polymorphism and NPC risk in overall analysis. In the stratified analysis by race, however, significant associations were only found in Caucasians (for the allele model A vs. G: OR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.59–0.97, p = 0.03; for the co-dominant model AA vs. GG: OR = 0.52, 95% CI 0.32–0.86, p = 0.01; for the dominant model AA/AG vs. GG: OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.32–0.74, p<0.01; for the recessive model AA vs. AG/GG: OR = 0.90, 95% CI 0.61–1.34, p = 0.60).

Conclusions

A significant association between CCND1 G870A polymorphism and NPC risk was found in the central-southern Chinese population. The meta-analysis indicated that CCND1 G870A polymorphism may contribute to the development of NPC in Caucasians.