A genetic variant in pre-miR-27a is associated with a reduced cervical cancer risk in southern Chinese women

Abstract

ObjectiveMicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in cervical carcinogenesis. Common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in pre/pri-miRNAs may change their property through altering miRNAs expression and/or maturation. Here we aimed to investigate the influence of three common SNPs in pre/pri-miRNAs (pri-miR-26a-1 rs7372209, pre-miR-27a rs895819 and pri-miR-100 rs1834306) on individual susceptibility to cervical cancer. MethodsWe genotyped these three polymorphisms in 103 cervical cancer cases and 417 cancer-free female subjects using polymerase chain reaction–ligation detection reaction (PCR–LDR) method. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was utilized to estimate the association between these polymorphisms and the risk of cervical cancer. ResultsIn a logistic regression analysis, we found that the rs895819 polymorphism in pre-miR-27a exhibited a significant effect on cervical cancer risk; T allele (OR=0.68, 95% CI=0.49–0.95, P=0.025), and CT (OR=0.33, 95% CI=0.15–0.74, P=0.007) or TT (OR=0.33, 95% CI=0.15–0.72, P=0.006) genotype were associated with the decreased risk, compared to C and CC respectively. As we used further genotype association models, we found a similar trend of the association in additive (OR=0.70, P=0.041) and recessive model (OR=0.33, P=0.004). We did not detect any association of the other two SNPs in pri-miR-26a-1 (rs7372209) and pri-miR-100 (rs1834306) with cervical cancer risk. ConclusionOur study provides the first evidence that the miR-27a rs895819 polymorphism is associated with a decreased risk of cervical cancer in southern Chinese women.