Association of Genetic Variants in miR-217 Gene with Risk of Coronary Artery Disease: A Case–Control Study

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the associations of genetic variants of the miR-217 gene with coronary artery disease (CAD) risk, as well as plasma level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Methods A case–control study with 498 CAD patients and 499 frequency-matched healthy controls was conducted to evaluate the associations of four tagSNPs of the miR-217 gene, including rs6724872, rs4999828, rs10206823, and rs41291177, with CAD risk and plasma level of VEGF. Results SNP rs6724872 and rs4999828 were significantly associated with increased risk of CAD (P value was smaller than 0.05 even after Bonferroni multiple adjustment). Compared with the G allele, C allele of rs6724872 was significantly associated with 1.73-fold increased risk of CAD (95% CI: 1.25–2.39; P = 0.001). While C allele of rs4999828 was significantly associated with 1.75-fold increased risk of CAD, compared with T allele (95% CI: 1.34–2.29; P = 4 × 10 −5 ). Meanwhile, rs6724872 and rs4999828 were also significantly associated with higher level of VEGF (P < 0.001). Conclusion These findings highlighted the important role of genetic variants of the miR-217 gene in the pathogenesis of CAD and potential targets for intervention.