The Molecular Analysis of rs11614913 Polymorphism from miRNA196a Gene and Its Relationship with TNF-α Gene Expression in Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in women, which has been diagnosed as fourth cancer in females worldwide. In addition to human papillomavirus (HPV), genetic factors, including altered expression of some microRNAs and mutations in tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) gene, are involved in this cancer.

This study aimed to investigate the rs11614913 polymorphism from the miRNA196a gene and its association with the expression of the TNF-α gene in cervical cancer for early diagnosis and treatment.

In this study, 52 samples of pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions, and 50 tissue samples were collected from healthy subjects in an Iranian population. DNA was extracted from the samples, and rs11614913 polymorphism of the miRNA196a gene was investigated by PCR. RNA was extracted from the samples, and the expression of the miRNA196a and TNF-α genes were evaluated. Finally, for data analysis, Epi Info software version 7.1.3.10 and MedCalc Version 19.2.0 were used.

The frequency of CC, TC, and TT genotypes from rs11614913 polymorphism of miRNA196a gene was 0.58, 0.34, and 0.08, respectively, but in the healthy group it was 0.36, 0.46, and 0.18, respectively. The results also showed that the expression of miRNA196a and TNF-α genes in the patient group was higher than the control group.

Based on the results of this study, a significant correlation was found between CC genotype and rs11614913 polymorphism of miRNA196a gene and TNF-α gene expression in the cervical cancer sample. Therefore, investigating these factors in patients with cervical cancer may be helpful.