Genetic variations in microRNA genes and susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma.

We conducted a hospital-based case-control study to investigate the effect of the miR-146aG>C and miR-499A>G polymorphisms on the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a Chinese population. This study was 1:1 matched case-control study consisting of 184 HCC patients and 184 control subjects. miR-146aG>C and miR-499A>G polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Multivariate regression analyses showed that subjects carrying the miR-146a G allele and miR-499 G allele were associated with a non-significant increased risk of HCC compared with subjects with the homozygous allele, with adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of 1.38 (0.97-1.84) and 1.40 (0.99-2.08), respectively. Moreover, subjects carrying the miR-499 A allele showed a greatly increased risk of HCC in subjects infected with HBV compared with subjects carrying the miR-499 A allele, with an adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 1.53 (1.34-2.41). In conclusion, the miR-146aG>C and miR-499A>G polymorphisms do not have a role in the genetic susceptibility to HCC.