Abstract
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.
Highlights
Cancer is an outcome of unregulated expression of genes involved in development, cell growth, and differentiation
We found a significant association between rs11614913 and reduced cancer risk in the allelic contrast (OR = 0.949, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.902– 0.998, PH,0.001), homozygote comparison
We performed five independent metaanalyses to investigate the association between cancer risk and polymorphisms in miRNA
Summary
Cancer is an outcome of unregulated expression of genes involved in development, cell growth, and differentiation. MiRNAs are a class of single-stranded short (21,25 nt) RNAs, which are evolutionarily well conserved but are non–proteincoding. These RNAs regulate a broad range of biologic and pathologic process, including apoptosis, proliferation, differentiation, angiogenesis, and immune response, which are known to play critical roles in carcinogenesis [1,2,3]. Studies have shown that mature miRNAs regulate the expression of roughly 10–30% of all human genes [8]. Recent studies have suggested that miRNAs may participate in the carcinogenesis, progression (proliferation, migration, and invasion), and prognosis of multiple human malignancies by regulating the expression of tumor suppressor genes or proto-oncogenes [9,10,11,12]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
