The coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most severe cardiovascular diseases. MicroRNA-146a (miR-146a) influences the pathology of cardiovascular diseases. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of miR-146a (rs2431697 and rs2910164) have been reported to alter the function or expression of microRNA. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between miR-146a gene polymorphism and the risk of CAD in the Chinese population. A total of 353 CAD patients and 368 controls were recruited, and SNPs were analyzed by the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and Sequenom MassARRAY system. The gene frequencies of rs2431697 and rs2910164 were significantly different between the two groups. The mutant type (T allele) of rs2431697 and wild type (C allele) of rs2910164 were more frequent in CAD patients. T allele carriers in rs2431697 had an increased CAD risk, while G allele of rs2910164 decreased the risk of CAD significantly. In conclusion, we found that the T allele of rs2431697 was a risk factor of CAD in the Chinese population. Meanwhile, we demonstrated that the G allele of rs2910164 decreased the susceptibility of CAD.
Keywords: coronary artery disease; gene polymorphism; microRNA-146a.