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.