Associations of the polymorphisms in long non-coding RNA H19 with hepatocellular carcinoma risk in a Southern Chinese population

// Zhifeng Lin 1, 2, * , Junguo Zhang 1, * , Xiaohui Ji 1 , Lucheng Pi 1 , Nana Tian 1 , Xinqi Lin 1 , Li Liu 1 , Sidong Chen 1 , Xinfa Yu 3 and Yanhui Gao 1 1 Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China 2 Medical Record Department of The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China 3 Shunde Hospital of Southen Medical University, Guangzhou, China * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Yanhui Gao, email: gao_yanhui@163.com Xinfa Yu, email: yuxfa@126.com Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma; HCC; LncRNA; H19; polymorphisms Received: September 15, 2017      Accepted: October 25, 2017      Published: January 02, 2018 ABSTRACT Background: Overexpression of H19 long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, the role of H19 polymorphisms in the development of HCC was still unclear. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to explore whether the H19 polymorphisms were related to the susceptibility of HCC. Materials and Methods: A case-control study of 625 cases and 621 controls was conducted to investigate genetic associations of three potentially functional variants in H19 (rs2839702, rs2067051 and rs2075745) with HCC risk in a Southern Chinese population. Results: After adjustment for age, gender, smoking status, drinking status, HBsAg status, and family history of cancers, three H19 polymorphisms were not associated with HCC risk under any genetic models. The odds ratio (OR) per risk allele for HCC was 1.03 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.94–1.13) for rs2839702, 1.05 (95% CI = 0.96–1.16) for rs2067051, and 1.04 (95% CI = 0.95–1.14) for rs2075745, respectively. No significant associations were also observed in the stratified analysis, haplotype analysis and combined effect analysis. Conclusions: Our study indicated that no association of polymorphisms (rs2839702, rs2067051 and rs2075745) in long non-coding RNA H19 with HCC. Further larger population-based case-control study and a global view to the genetic component of H19 would be required to identify the causal genetic polymorphisms for HCC.