Genetic association between miR-27a and miR-449b polymorphisms and susceptibility to diabetes mellitus

Various mutations in microRNAs (miRs) are associated with the pathogenesis of several diseases including cancers and vascular diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the potential association between miR-27a A>G (rs895819) and miR-449b A>G (rs10061133) polymorphisms with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and its associated risk factors in the Korean population. Genotype analysis was performed using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis to assess the frequency of miR-27a and miR-449b gene polymorphisms in patients diagnosed with T2DM (n=238) and healthy controls (n=247). The miR-27a GG genotype, recessive model, and G allele were significantly associated with a decreased risk of T2DM [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=0.378, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.208-0.686, P=0.001; AOR=0.425, 95% CI: 0.246-0.734, P=0.002; AOR=0.640, 95% CI: 0.493-0.831, P=0.001, respectively). Although the miR-449b polymorphism was not associated with the prevalence of T2DM, the genotype and allele combination analyses for miR-27a and miR-449b polymorphisms showed associations with T2DM prevalence. Furthermore, stratification analysis revealed that the miR-27a polymorphism was associated with DM risk factors including body mass index (<28.12 kg/m², P=0.031), waist circumference (<93.03 cm, P=0.036), systolic blood pressure (<132.67 mmHg, P=0.017), fasting blood glucose levels (<106.26 mg/dl, P=0.015), glycosylated hemoglobin, type A1C (≤125.5 mg/dl, P=0.001), total cholesterol (≤240 mg/dl, P=0.010) and low-density lipoprotein levels (≤130 mg/dl, P=0.028). The present study revealed an association between miR-27a A>G and miR-449b A>G polymorphisms and the risk of DM in Koreans, which suggests that these gene polymorphisms could represent potential markers for predicting T2DM risk.