A SNP site in pri-miR-124 changes mature miR-124 expression but no contribution to Alzheimer's disease in a Mongolian population.

Increasing evidence shows that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or mutations in microRNAs (miRNAs) sequence may affect the processing and function of miRNAs and participate in the occurrence of diseases. Although many SNPs of miRNAs were found, their functions in the pathological process of nerve cells were only just emerging. In the present study, the effect of the SNP of one neuronal miRNA, miR-124, on miRNA biogenesis and human genetic disease was investigated using in vitro cell line model and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the Mongolian population. Bioinformatics prediction showed that a common G/C polymorphism designated rs531564 was found in the pri-miR-124 and the G allele changed the formation of a ring-shaped structure in the predicted secondary structure of the pri-miRNA for miR-124-1. Northern blot and real-time PCR analysis showed that the amount of mature miR-124 from the C/G heterozygosity of rs531564 was increased compared with the CC or GG homozygosity of rs531564. The expression of mature miR-124 from GG homozygosity was also higher than that from CC homozygosity. But in an association study of AD patients and controls, neither genotype nor allele distribution difference was found in AD patients compared with controls. Collectively, the present study is the first to evaluate the relationship between miR-124 and AD in the Mongolian population. SNP rs531564 of miR-124 may not represent a risk factor in the development of AD among Mongolian population.
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