MiR-196a2 rs11614913 T>C Polymorphism is Associated with an Increased Risk of Tetralogy of Fallot in a Chinese Population.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a family of endogenous, small, noncoding single-stranded RNAs that act as post-transcriptional gene regulatory elements. MiRNA polymorphisms may be associated with susceptibility to congenital heart disease (CHD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of miRNA single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on CHD susceptibility. METHODS: We genotyped two functional SNPs, miR-196a2 rs11614913 and miR-146a rs2910164, in a case-control cohort of 173 Chinese patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and 207 non-CHD controls. RESULTS: When the miR-196a2 rs11614913 TT homozygote genotype was used as the reference group, the TC genotype was not associated with an increased risk of TOF. The CC genotype was associated with a borderline significantly increased risk for TOF. In the recessive model, when the miR-196a2 rs11614913 TT/TC genotypes were used as the reference group, the CC homozygote genotype was associated with a significantly increased risk of TOF (OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.18-3.25, p = 0.01). The miR-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism was not associated with developing TOF. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that the miR-196a2 rs11614913 T>C polymorphism may play a role in the development of TOF. Future larger studies that include populations of other ethnicities are required to confirm these findings. KEY WORDS: Congenital heart disease; MiRNA; Molecular epidemiology; Polymorphisms; Tetralogy of Fallot.