The association of miR-221 rs113054794, miR-146a rs2910164 and miR-34a rs369892834 polymorphisms with stroke risk

Introduction: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability affecting 15 million peopleworldwide. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in micro-Ribonucleic acid (miRNA) may altermiRna expression or processing and contribute to susceptibility to a wide range of diseases.MiR-221 regulates expression of TNF-α; miR-146a regulates TLR and cytokine receptorsexpression which might be involved in stroke process. This study evaluated the relation of miR-146a(rs2910164), miR-221(rs113054794), and miR-34a(rs369892834) polymorphisms withelevated stroke risk in Iran.Materials and Methods. Two groups consisting of 203 stroke patients (137 ischemic and 66 hemorrhagicstroke) and 213 healthy individuals (matched sex, age, lipid profile, Hypertension, diabetes, ethnically andgeographically) enrolled in this case control study. The genotype was analyzed by ARMS-PCR method.Results. The AA genotype and the A allele of rs113054794 within miR-221 were associated with increasedincidence of both hemorrhagic(P= 0.013) and ischemic(P= 0.002) stroke. The CC genotype and the C allele ofrs2910164 within miR-146a are associated with an increased incidence of ischemic stroke(P=0.049). Afteradjusting for confounding risk factors of ischemic stroke by logistic regression analysis, this significantcorrelation remained. The C allele within miR-34a(rs369892834) increased the risk of ischemic stroke in men by2 folds(P= 0.004).Conclusion. Our results suggest that miR-221 polymorphisms could be considered as a risk factor for bothhemorrhagic and an ischemic, whereas miR-146a polymorphisms could be considered as risk factor for ischemicstroke. Also, the C allele in miR-34a(rs369892834) can increase the risk of ischemic stroke in men in theNortheast of Iranian population.

Keywords:

MicroRNA , miR-146a , miR-221 , miR-34a , stroke , ARMS-PCR