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

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 X 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.