Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) function as gene regulator and they participate in diverse biological pathways. Common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in preβmicroRNAs may change their property through altering miRNAs expression and/or maturation. We conducted a pilot study to test whether SNPs in preβmicroRNAs were associated with cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). Genotypes of three SNPs in preβmiRNAs (hsaβmiRβ196a2 rs11614913 C/T, hsaβmiRβ499 rs3746444 A/G, and hsaβmiRβ146a rs2910164 G/C) in 226 CSCC patients and 309 control subjects were determined with the use of PCRβrestriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay. Significantly increased CSCC risks were found to be associated with G allele of rs3746444 and G allele of rs2910164 (Pβ=β0.017, ORβ=β1.454, and Pβ=β0.016, ORβ=β1.355, respectively). Increased CSCC risks were associated with them in different genetic model (Pβ=β0.0004, ORβ=β1.98 for rs3746444 in an overdominant model, and Pβ=β0.024, ORβ=β2.10 for rs2910164 in a codominant model, respectively). Results of stratified analyses revealed that rs2910164 is associated with tumor differentiation and lymph node status (Pβ=β0.043, ORβ=β2.08, and a borderline Pβ=β0.057, ORβ=β0.41, respectively). No association between rs11614913 and CSCC risk was observed. The present study provides evidence that rs3746444 and rs2910164 are associated with CSCC, indicating that common genetic polymorphisms in preβmicroRNAs contribute to the pathogenesis of CSCC. Mol. Carcinog. Β© 2011 WileyβLiss, Inc.