Pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 Polymorphism Contributes to Coronary Artery Disease Susceptibility

Accumulating evidences have shown that polymorphisms in miRNA genes play an important role in the susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD). A potentially functional polymorphism rs4938723, which located within the promoter region of pri-miR-34b/c, may affect the expression of miR-34b/c. To date, the role of genetic variant in pri-miR-34b/c on CAD risk is still unknown. Here we aimed to evaluate the association of Pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism with individual susceptibility to CAD in a Chinese Han population.

Genotyping was performed in a case-control study of 563 patients and 646 controls using polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reaction (PCR-LDR) method. The association of rs4938723 with CAD risk was evaluated using logistic regression analysis with SPSS software.

We found that the C allele of pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 was significantly associated with a decreased risk of CAD when compared with the T allele (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.62-0.95, p = 0.015). Consistently, compared with those carrying TT genotype, the CC homozygotes displayed significantly reduced risk for CAD (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.32-0.91, p = 0.021). Similar trend of the reduced risk for CAD was detected when the CT and CC genotypes were combined (OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.57-0.99, p = 0.044). Stratified analysis of pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 revealed a more significant association of C allele with decreased CAD risk among older subjects, male and non-smokers.

Our findings suggest that the pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism is associated with CAD susceptibility in the Chinese Han population. Further studies are warranted to confirm the general validity of our findings.