Functional single nucleotide polymorphism in IL −17 A 3′ untranslated region is targeted by mi R ‐4480 in vitro and may be associated with age‐related macular degeneration

• Published in: Environmental and molecular mutagenesis 2016-01, Vol.57 (1), p.58-64
• Main Authors: Popp, Nicholas A., Yu, Dianke, Green, Bridgett, Chew, Emily Y., Ning, Baitang, Chan, Chi‐Chao, Tuo, Jingsheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0893-6692; 1098-2280
• DOI: 10.1002/em.21982

Age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible central vision loss in the elderly. Genetic factors contributing to AMD include single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in immune‐related genes including CFH, C2, CFI, C9 , and C3 , thus implicating these pathways in AMD pathogenesis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are powerful regulators of gene expression and execute this function by binding to the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of target mRNAs, leading to mRNA degradation. In this study, we searched for the possible association of SNPs in the 3′UTR region of IL‐17A , a gene implicated in AMD pathogenesis without any previous SNP association with AMD. Using two independent sample cohorts of Caucasian subjects, six SNPs in the IL‐17A 3′‐UTR were selected for genotyping based on bioinformatic predictions of the SNP effect on microRNA binding. The SNP rs7747909 was found to be associated with AMD ( P