MicroRNA 146a Polymorphisms and Expression in Indian Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miR) have been reported to be involved in hematopoiesis and in the pathogenesis of several hematological malignant neoplasms. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in human miR genes may alter the expression of those genes and influence the predisposition to childhood leukemia. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of rs2910164 G>C, rs57095329 A>G and the expression of miRNA-146a in ethnic South Asian children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). METHOD: Genotyping and expression analysis using TaqMan Small RNA Assay was performed on 71 patients with pathologically confirmed ALL and 74 control individuals. RESULTS: No statistically significant association was found between the 2 SNPs, its expression levels, and ALL risk. CONCLUSION: Haplotype analysis indicated a combination of allele A of rs57095329 and allele G of rs2910164 could represent a risk haplotype and an allele combination of G of rs57095329 and G of rs2910164 could represent a protective haplotype for ALL.

Polymorphic Regions in Fc Gamma Receptor and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Genes and Susceptibility to Chronic Periodontitis in a Cohort From South India.

BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms in the immunoglobulin G Fc receptor II (FcGR) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFA) genes are known to influence pathogenesis and severity of several inflammatory conditions. Association of FcGR and TNFA gene polymorphisms with chronic periodontitis (CP) susceptibility has been found to be diverse among different ethnic populations. Objectives of the present study are to determine association of functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FcGR and TNF-α genes with CP susceptibility in a cohort from South India. METHODS: Polymorphisms of: 1) FCGR2A 131His/Arg (rs1801274); 2) FCGR2B 232Ile/Thr (rs1050501); 3) TNFA -1031T/C (rs1799964); and 4) TNFA -863C/A (rs1800630) were analyzed among patients with healthy gingiva (n = 176) and patients with CP (n = 177). Genotyping was performed using allele-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. Association between CP and SNPs was examined by multivariable logistic regression analysis with adjustment for: 1) age; 2) sex; and 3) oral hygiene index (OHI). Epistatic interaction between FcGR polymorphisms and interleukin 1B (IL1B) +3954C/T (rs1143634) was assessed using multifactorial dimensionality reduction analysis. RESULTS: Among four SNPs analyzed, only FCGR2A 131His/Arg showed significant association with CP in a dominant model (odds ratio: 1.6; 95% confidence interval: 1.028 to 2.530). This significance disappeared after correcting for multiple comparisons using Bonferroni analysis, or after adjusting for age, sex, and OHI. A significant redundant interaction between IL1B +3954 C/T and FCGR2A 131His/Arg was observed. CONCLUSION: Study results suggest the variant form of the SNP in FCGR2A 131His/Arg, FCGR2B 232Ile/Thr, TNFA -1031T/C, and TNFA -863C/A are not associated with CP susceptibility in the selected cohort from South India.