Associations Between Three Common MicroRNA Polymorphisms and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk in Chinese

Aim: Associations between polymorphisms in miR-146aG>C, miR-196a2C>T and miR-499A>G and riskof HCC, and interaction with HBV infection in a Chinese population, were the target of the present research.
Methods: The duplex polymerase-chain-reaction with confronting-two-pair primers (PCR-RFLP) was performedto determine the genotypes of the miR-146aG>C, miR-196a2C>T and miR-499A>G genotypes. Associations ofpolymorphisms with the risk of HCC were estimated by conditional logistic regression analysis.
Results: Drinking,family history of cancer, HBsAg and HCV were risk factors for HCC. Multivariate regression analyses showedthat subjects carrying the miR-196a2 CC genotype had significantly increased risk of HCC, with an adjustedOR (95% CI) of 2.18 (1.23-3.80). In addition, cases carrying the miR-196a2 C allele had a 1.64-fold increase inthe risk for HCC (95%CI=1.03-2.49). The miR-196a2 CT and TT genotypes greatly significantly increased therisk of HCC in subjects with HBV infection, with adjusted ORs (95% CI) of 2.02 (1.12-3.68) and 2.69 (1.28-5.71),respectively.
Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that miR-196a2 CC genotype and C allele have an importantrole in HCC risk in Chinese, especially in patients with HBV infection.