Genomic variants within the long non-coding RNA H19 confer risk of breast cancer in Iranian population

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) H19 is an imprinted lncRNA with acknowledged roles in carcinogenesis.

In the current study, we genotyped two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within H19 in 111 breast cancer patients and 130 age-matched healthy subjects using tetra primer-ARMS-PCR technique. The T allele of rs2839698 conferred breast cancer risk in the assessed population (OR (95% CI) = 2.52 (1.75-3.64), adjusted P value = 1.3E-6), while and the T allele of rs217727 had a protective effect (OR (95% CI) = 0.42 (0.27-0.66), adjusted P value = 2.8E-4). Both SNPs were associated with breast cancer risk in recessive, dominant and co-dominant models. The T C haplotype (rs2839698 and rs217727) significantly increased risk of breast cancer (OR (95% CI) = 2.4 (1.65-3.45), adjusted P value = 1.2E-5), while the C T haplotype had a protective role (OR (95% CI) = 0.31 (0.18-0.52), adjusted P value = 2.03E-5). The present study highlights the role of H19 SNPs in conferring risk of breast cancer in Iranian population. Future studies with larger sample sizes are required to verify these data.