Association between functional polymorphisms in the promoter of the miR-143/145 cluster and risk of intracranial aneurysm

The polymorphism rs4705342 in the promoter of miR-143/145 is related to the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer and patient prognosis

Objective

To evaluate the effects of two genetic variants in the promoter of the miR-143/145 cluster on the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and the prognosis of EOC patients.

Study design

Genotypes were determined by the polymerase chain reaction and ligase detection reaction method in 563 EOC patients and 576 healthy women. The expression of miR-143 and miR-145 were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in fifty-two EOC tissues.

Results

The rs4705342 CC genotype frequencies in EOC patients were higher than those in the controls (P = 0.014). Furthermore, the CC genotype of rs4705342 was associated with an advanced FIGO stage of EOC patients (P = 0.046). Patients with the rs4705342 CC genotype had shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) times than those carrying the TT genotype in multivariable analysis adjusting for clinical variables (HR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.04-1.62, P = 0.020; HR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.05-1.70, P = 0.020). In addition, the miR-145 levels were lower in EOC tissues with the rs4705342 CC genotype than in those with the TT genotype (P = 0.005).

Conclusion

The CC genotype of rs4705342 was related to an increased risk of EOC and poor prognosis of EOC patients, and rs4705342 may serve as a molecular marker for predicting the development of EOC and the clinical outcome of EOC patients.

A functional polymorphism of microRNA-143 is associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the northern Chinese Han population

OBJECTIVE

To explore the association between two polymorphisms of microRNA-143 (miR-143) and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the northern Chinese Han population.

STUDY DESIGN

This case-control study involved 326 patients with T2DM and 342 healthy controls. Two genetic variants (rs4705342 and rs353292) of miR-143 were genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction/ligase detection reaction (PCR-LDR) method. The levels of miR-143 in the serum from 52 T2DM patients and 55 healthy subjects were investigated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).

RESULTS

The CC genotype frequency of rs4705342 was significantly higher in the T2DM patients than in the healthy controls (P = 0.012). After adjusting for sex, age, and body mass index, the rs4705342 CC genotype was also related to a significantly increased risk of T2DM compared with the TT genotype (adjusted OR: 1.87; 95% CI = 1.09-3.19; P = 0.022). Stratified analyses demonstrated that T2DM patients with the rs4705342 CC genotype had significantly higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C) than those carrying the rs4705342 TT genotype. The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of miR-143 were significantly higher in the serum of cases than in the serum of controls (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the levels of miR-143 were significantly higher in the serum of T2DM patients carrying the rs4705342 CC genotype than in those carrying the TC and TT genotypes of rs4705342 (P = 0.005 and 0.003, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The CC genotype of rs4705342 might be a risk factor for developing T2DM by increasing the expression of miRNA-143 in the northern Chinese Han population.

Association Between miR-143/145 rs4705343 Polymorphism and Risk of Congenital Heart Disease in a Chinese Tibetan Population

Objective: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect worldwide and is caused by both genetic and environmental factors. The microRNA (miR)-143/145 cluster is involved in various biological processes related to cardiovascular development. The functional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs4705343 of miR-143/145 may influence the expression of these miRNAs. In this study, we aimed to estimate the association between miR-143/145 rs4705343 and the risk of CHD in a Chinese Tibetan population. Methods: Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry assays were performed to genotype the miRNA-143/145 rs4705343 SNP in 510 CHD Tibetan patients and 681 unrelated Tibetan healthy controls. The associations between the SNP frequencies and the CHD risk were analyzed by χ² test/Fisher's test and assessed by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Results: We successfully genotyped 1165 subjects with a SNP call rate of 97.8%. Under the allelic model we found that rs4705343 was not associated with the risk of CHD (p = 0.082), but under the recessive model the CC genotype at this locus was associated with a significantly increased risk of CHD compared with the other genotypes (CC vs TT+TC: OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.08-2.37, p = 0.017). Conclusion: The present study suggests that the rs4705343 CC genotype of miR-143/145 is associated with CHD risk in a Chinese Tibetan population.

Functional Variants of miR-143 Are Associated with Schizophrenia Susceptibility: A Preliminary Population-Based Study and Bioinformatics Analysis

Single nucleotide polymorphisms within genes encoding microRNAs may alter the expression of microRNAs and their target genes, contributing to the etiology of psychiatric disorders. We aimed to investigate the link between rs4705342T/C and rs4705343T/C polymorphisms in the promoter region of miR-143 and the risk of schizophrenia (SCZ) in a sample of an Iranian population. In this experimental study, a total of 398 subjects were recruited. Genotyping carried out using allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) method. Different bioinformatics databases and Cytoscape V3.4.0 software were used for the analysis of the gene-miRNA interaction network. The genotypic analysis of rs4705342C/T showed that CC genotype in the co-dominant model significantly decreased the risk of SCZ (p < 0.001). Also, a significantly reduced risk of SCZ was observed under allelic (p < 0.001), dominant (p = 0.007), and recessive (p = 0.001) models of this variant. As regards rs4705343T/C, significantly enhanced risk of SCZ was found under the co-dominant CC (p = 0.01) and recessive (p = 0.007) contrasted genetic models. For this variant, the C allele conferred an increased risk of SCZ by 1.41 fold. Haplotype analysis showed that the C_rs4705342 T_rs4705343 haplotype significantly diminished SCZ susceptibility. The result of the bioinformatics analysis showed that miR-143, as a critical miRNA, targets ERK5, ERBB3, HK2, and PKCε, the four major genes involved in SCZ development. Our findings suggest that these two polymorphisms might affect SCZ susceptibility. Elucidating the precise regulatory mechanisms of gene expression in the development of SCZ will help researchers discover a novel target for therapeutic interventions.

MicroRNAs as Biomarkers for Predicting Complications following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a high mortality hemorrhagic stroke that affects nearly 30,000 patients annually in the United States. Approximately 30% of aSAH patients die during initial hospitalization and those who survive often carry poor prognosis with one in five having permanent physical and/or cognitive disabilities. The poor outcome of aSAH can be the result of the initial catastrophic event or due to the many acute or delayed neurological complications, such as cerebral ischemia, hydrocephalus, and re-bleeding. Unfortunately, no effective biomarker exists to predict or diagnose these complications at a clinically relevant time point when neurologic injury can be effectively treated and managed. Recently, a number of studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) in extracellular biofluids are highly associated with aSAH and complications. Here we provide an overview of the current research on relevant human studies examining the correlation between miRNAs and aSAH complications and discuss the potential application of using miRNAs as biomarkers in aSAH management.

Association between the rs3733846 in the flanking region of miR-143/145 and risk of cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Aim: To investigate the effect of rs3733846 in the flanking region of miR-143/145 on susceptibility to cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). Materials & methods: We collected venous blood samples from 242 CSCC patients and 250 healthy controls. The rs3733846 polymorphism was genotyped by SnaPshot and Sanger sequencing. The expression of miR-143/145 in CSCC tissues was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Results: The rs3733846 AG genotype was associated with a decreased risk of CSCC in genetic model (AGvs.AA: adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.30-0.66; p < 0.001). Patients with the rs3733846 AG/GG genotypes had a reduced risk of developing poorly differential status (OR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.33-0.98; p < 0.04) and lymph node metastasis (OR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.26-0.92; p < 0.03). Conclusion: The rs3733846 in the flanking region of miR-143/145 was related to the susceptibility of CSCC.

Relationship between miR-143/145 cluster variations and cancer risk: proof from a Meta-analysis

Recent studies have suggested that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the miR-143/145 cluster might be linked to cancer risk. In this meta-analysis association study, we sought to quantitatively measure the strength of this association with cancer susceptibility in the overall analysis. Relevant publications were retrieved through a literature search in Web of Science, Medline, PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar databases (updated January 22, 2020). Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated under different genetic contrasted models. Our findings showed that rs4705341 (under allelic, codominant AA, dominant, and recessive), rs4705342 (under allelic, codominant TC, codominant CC, dominant, and recessive), and rs353292 (under allelic, codominant CT, and dominant) significantly decreased cancer risk. However, we did not find any association between the rs4705343, rs353293, rs3733845, and rs3733846 variants and cancer risk under any genetic models. The stratified analysis by cancer type showed that the rs41291957 and rs4705342 variants showed protective effects against colorectal- and prostate cancers, respectively. Our findings support the association between some miR-143/145 cluster variants and cancer risk. Replication large-scale studies on different races are encouraged to precisely delineate such associations.

Association between functional polymorphisms in the flanking region of miR-143/145 and risk of papillary thyroid carcinoma: A case-control study

MiR-143 and miR-145 were down-regulated in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) involving in cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between 2 functional polymorphisms (ie, rs4705342 and rs353292) in the flanking region of miR-143/145 and risk of PTC.A case-control study including 316 PTC patients and 347 controls was performed. The rs4705342 and rs353292 were genotyped by using the TaqMan allelic discrimination. The results were confirmed by DNA sequencing.For the rs4705342, a reduced risk of PTC was observed in heterozygous comparison, dominant genetic model and allele comparison (CC vs TT: adjusted OR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.19-0.74, P = .003; CT/CC vs TT: adjusted OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.47-0.87, P = .005; C vs T: adjusted OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.52-0.85, P = .001, respectively). No significant difference was found in the genotypic distributions of the rs353292 between cases and controls.These findings indicate that the rs4705342 in the flanking region of miR-143/145 may be a protective factor against the occurrence of PTC. Further study is therefore required to investigate the correlation between the genotype and V-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 V600E, rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog mutations, rearranged in transformation/PTC1 and rearranged in transformation/PTC3.

Long Non-coding RNA MALAT1/microRNA-143/VEGFA Signal Axis Modulates Vascular Endothelial Injury-Induced Intracranial Aneurysm

The roles of some long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in intracranial aneurysm (IA) have been investigated in many studies. The aim of this study is to elucidate the mechanism of lncRNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1)/microRNA-143 (miR-143)/vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGFA) signal axis in vascular endothelial injury-induced IA. MALAT1, miR-143, and VEGFA expression in IA tissues and normal arterial tissues were detected. Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) in tissues, von Willebrand factor (vWF) in serum and tissues, and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in serum were detected. The modeled IA rats were injected with silenced or overexpressed MALAT1 for detecting vascular endothelial injury. Vascular endothelial cells from patients with IA were abstracted and transfected with silenced or overexpressed MALAT1 to verify the impacts of MALAT1 on cell viability and apoptosis. The connections among MALAT1, miR-143, and VEGFA were verified by online prediction, luciferase activity, and RNA-pull down assays. Overexpression of MALAT1 and VEGFA and poor expression of miR-143 were found in IA tissues. Downregulation of MALAT1 inhibited blood pressure, the expression of ET-1, vWF, and MMP-9, as well as the apoptotic index of vascular endothelial cells of rats with IA. Downregulated MALAT1 inhibited apoptosis and promoted viability of vascular endothelial cells in IA. MALAT1 bound to miR-143 and miR-143 targeted VEGFA. This study suggests that MALAT1 elevates VEGFA expression through competitive binding to miR-143, thereby boosting apoptosis and attenuating viability of vascular endothelial cells in IA.

Association between ELP4 rs986527 polymorphism and the occurrence and development of intracranial arachnoid cyst

OBJECTIVE

The association between ELP4 rs986527 polymorphism and the occurrence and development of intracranial arachnoid cyst was studied in this paper.

METHODS

Eighty-five patients diagnosed with intracranial arachnoid cysts by cerebral computed tomography scan were selected. Sixty-three healthy volunteers for medical examination in hospitals served as controls. The cognition, depressive symptoms, and the likelihood of headache, dizziness, head trauma history, dementia, depression, and epilepsy were assessed. ELP4 genotypes and its allele frequency were determined by PCR, endonuclease restriction analysis, and gel electrophoresis.

RESULTS

ELP4 rs986527 had three genotypes: TT, TC, and CC. The intracranial arachnoid cyst group showed no statistically significant difference in genotype frequencies compared with healthy controls. There was no significant correlation between ELP4 rs986527 polymorphism and location of intracranial arachnoid cyst. TC and C genotype frequencies were associated with a higher incidence of clinical symptoms than TT genotype frequencies, and C allele frequencies were associated with a significantly higher incidence of clinical symptoms compared with T allele frequencies. There was no significant difference in TNF-α and IL-1β levels between TT/TC/CC genotypes before treatment. After treatment, the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were significantly decreased in different genotypes, and the decrease in CC was the greatest. The frequency of TT and TC genotypes was higher than that of CC genotypes.

CONCLUSION

ELP4 rs986527 polymorphism affected the incidence of clinical symptoms and the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in patients with intracranial arachnoid cysts.

A functional variant in the flanking region of pri-let-7f contributes to colorectal cancer risk in a Chinese population

Let-7f was reported to be downregulated in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). However, little is known about the role of let-7f in CRC carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between genetic polymorphisms in the flanking region of pri-let-7f and CRC risk, as well as the potential role of let-7f in CRC cell migration and invasion. The pri-let-7f-1 rs10739971 and pri-let-7f-2 rs17276588 were genotyped using TaqMan (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) assay. The luciferase activity was detected using Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay. CRC cell migration and invasion were evaluated using transwell chamber assay. The rs17276588 AG and AG/AA genotypes had a significantly increased CRC risk (AG vs. GG: adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.19-1.83, p < 0.001; AG/AA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.17-1.75, p < 0.001). Stratification analyses showed that the increased risk was observed in CRC patients with well-moderately differential status, patients with clinical Stages I-II, and patients without lymph node metastasis. The rs17276588A allele displayed a decreased transcriptional activity and low levels of let-7f. Moreover, let-7f inhibited migration and invasion in Caco-2 and Lovo cells. These findings indicate that the rs17276588 AG/AA genotypes increased CRC risk by reducing the expression of tumor suppressor let-7f.

Analysis of association of potentially functional genetic variants within genes encoding miR-34b/c, miR-378 and miR-143/145 with prostate cancer in Serbian population

MiRNA-associated genetic variants occurring in regulatory regions can affect the efficiency of transcription and potentially modify pri-miRNA or pre-miRNA processing. Since miRNA-based mechanisms are shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer (PCa), the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of rs4938723, rs1076064 and rs4705343 occurring in regulatory regions of miR-34b/c, miR-143/145 and miR-378, respectively, on PCa risk and progression in Serbian population. We examined a total of 1060 subjects, of which 350 were patients with PCa, 354 were patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), while 356 healthy volunteers were included in the control group. Genotyping of rs4938723, rs1076064 and rs4705343 was performed by using Taqman^® SNP Genotyping Assays. Allele C of rs4705342 was found to increase the risk of PCa (P=0.031 for codominant model, P=0.0088 for recessive model). Rs1076064 minor allele G was found to associate with serum PSA score, as well as with PCa T category and disease aggressiveness. For rs4938723 minor allele C was shown to be associated with the lower PCa T category (P_dom=0.0046; OR=0.36, 95 % CI 0.17-0.76) in T2 vs. T1 comparison. Rs4705342 was identified as PCa susceptibility variant in Serbian population, while for rs1076064 and rs4938723 association with PCa progression parameters was found.

Replication of GWAS Loci Revealed an Increased Risk of BET1L and H19 Polymorphisms with Intracranial Aneurysm

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified that BET1L rs2280543 at chromosome 11p15.5 was a susceptibility loci of intracranial aneurysm (IA). Long noncoding RNA H19, located in this region, was reported to play a crucial role in the formation of IA. In this study, we aimed to examine whether BET1L rs2280543 and potentially functional polymorphisms in H19 influence the risk of IA. A hospital-based case-control study was performed involving 542 IA patients and 588 age- and gender-matched controls. The BET1L rs2280543 and H19 polymorphisms were genotyped using the TaqMan assay. The BET1L rs2280543 CT, CT/TT genotypes, and T allele were associated with an increased risk of IA (CT vs. CC, adjusted OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.08-1.90, P = 0.01; CT/TT vs. CC, adjusted OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.12-1.94, P = 0.005; and T vs. C, adjusted OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.13-1.83, P = 0.003). Similarly, the H19 rs217727 TT genotype and T allele were associated with an increased risk of IA (TT vs. CC, adjusted OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.35-2.67, P < 0.001; T vs. C, adjusted OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16-1.64, P < 0.001). Combined analyses revealed that the rs2280543 CC-rs217727 CT/TT, rs2280543 CT/TT-rs2735971 GG, and rs217727 CT/TT-rs2735971 GG genotypes were related to the risk of IA. Interaction analysis showed that the 3-loci model of rs2280543-rs217727-rs2839698 contributed to an increased risk of IA. These findings suggest that the GWAS-discovered risk loci BET1L rs2280543 may increase IA susceptibility by interacting with lncRNA H19.

Association of genetic polymorphisms of miR-145 gene with telomere length in omethoate-exposed workers

Omethoate, an organophosphorous pesticide, causes a variety of health effects, especially the damage of chromosome DNA. The aim of the study was to assess the correlation between polymorphisms of encoding miRNA genes and telomere length in omethoate-exposure workers. 180 workers with more than 8 years omethoate-exposure and 115 healthy controls were recruited in the study. Genotyping for the selected single nucleotide polymorphisms loci were performed using the flight mass spectrometry. Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(PCR) method was applied to determine the relative telomere length(RTL) in human peripheral blood leukocytes DNA. After adjusting the covariate of affecting RTL, covariance analysis showed that the female was significantly longer than that of the male in control group(P < 0.046). For the miR-145 rs353291 locus, this study showed that RTL of mutation homozygous AG+GG individuals was longer than that of wild homozygous AA in the exposure group (P = 0.039). In the control group, RTL with wild homozygous TT genotype in miR-30a rs2222722 polymorphism locus was longer than that of the mutation homozygous CC genotype (P = 0.038). After multiple linear regression analysis, the independent variables of entering into the model were omethoate-exposure (b = 0.562, P < 0.001), miR-145 rs353291 (AG+GG) (b = 0.205, P = 0.010). The prolongation of relative telomere length in omethoate exposed workers was associated with AG+GG genotypes in rs353291 polymorphism of encoding miR-145 gene.

MicroRNA-224 inhibition prevents progression of cervical carcinoma by targeting PTX3

Cervical carcinoma is known as one of the most lethal and common conditions in women worldwide. Increasing evidence shows that microRNAs (miRs) may be involved in the pathogenesis of cervical carcinoma. This study investigates the correlation between expression of miR-224 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and both diagnosis and prognosis of cervical carcinoma to clarify the effect miR-224 has on the biological behaviors of the subjected cervical carcinoma cells. Initially, 132 patients diagnosed with cervical carcinoma and 120 healthy subjects were recruited. Peripheral blood expression of miR-224 and PTX3 was detected. A telephone follow-up was performed every 3 months after treatment. The diagnostic value of miR-224 in cervical carcinoma was analyzed using the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve. The effects of both miR-224 and PTX3 on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were evaluated with an intervention of miR-224 ectopic expression or depletion and PTX3 silencing. The bioinformatics prediction website and dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed PTX3 to be a target gene for miR-224. Moreover, miR-224 was detected as over-expressed, but PTX3 was under-expressed in cervical carcinoma. Additionally, as a diagnostic biomarker, a high miR-224 expression was closely linked with the progression of cervical carcinoma. Both miR-224 overexpression and PTX3 silencing promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, whereas, the aforementioned properties were depressed when miR-224 was inhibited. Altogether, the miR-224 overexpression may be a biological indicator in predicting the progression of cervical carcinoma. Thus, miR-224 inhibition may significantly prevent cervical carcinoma progression by targeting the PTX3 gene.