MiR-100 rs1834306 A>G Increases Biliary Atresia Risk in Southern Han Chinese Children

MicroRNAs in chronic pediatric diseases (Review)

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs with a length of 20-24 nucleotides. They bind to the 3'-untranslated region of target genes to induce the degradation of target mRNAs or inhibit their translation. Therefore, they are involved in the regulation of development, apoptosis, proliferation, differentiation and other biological processes (including hormone secretion, signaling and viral infections). Chronic diseases in children may be difficult to treat and are often associated with malnutrition resulting from a poor diet. Consequently, further complications, disease aggravation and increased treatment costs impose a burden on patients and their families. Existing evidence suggests that microRNAs are involved in various chronic non-neoplastic diseases in children. The present review discusses the roles of microRNAs in five major chronic diseases in children, namely, diabetes mellitus, congenital heart diseases, liver diseases, bronchial asthma and epilepsy, providing a theoretical basis for them to become therapeutic biomarkers in chronic pediatric diseases.

miR-100 rs1834306 a > G polymorphism decreases neuroblastoma risk in Chinese children

BACKGROUND

Neuroblastoma is a common malignant tumor stemming from the sympathetic nervous system in children, which is often life-threatening. The genetics of neuroblastoma remains unclear. Studies have shown that miRNAs participate in the regulation of a broad spectrum of biological pathways. The abnormity in the miRNA is associated with the risk of various cancers, including neuroblastoma. However, research on the relationship of miRNA polymorphisms with neuroblastoma susceptibility is still in the initial stage.

METHODS

In this research, a retrospective case-control study was conducted to explore whether miR-100 rs1834306 A > G polymorphism is associated with neuroblastoma susceptibility. We enrolled 402 cases and 473 controls for the study. The logistic regression analysis was adopted to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between miR-100 rs1834306 A > G and neuroblastoma risk.

RESULTS

Our results elucidated that the miR-100 rs1834306 A > G polymorphism was associated with the decreased risk of neuroblastoma (AG versus AA: adjusted OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.53-0.98, and P = 0.038). The subsequent stratified analysis further found that rs1834306 AG/GG genotype reduced the risk of neuroblastoma in the subgroup with tumors of the mediastinum origin (adjusted OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.41-0.95, and P = 0.029).

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, miR-100 rs1834306 A > G polymorphism was shown to associate with decreased neuroblastoma risk in Chinese children, especially for neuroblastoma of mediastinum origin. This conclusion needs to be verified in additional large-size case-control studies.