Association of the pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 T > C polymorphism with hepatoblastoma susceptibility in Eastern Chinese children: A five-center case-control study

Abstract Background Hepatoblastoma is the most prevalent liver cancer affecting children, and its intricate causes are closely linked to genetic variations. This study interrogated the influence of the miR-34b/c rs4938723 T > C polymorphism in hepatoblastoma predisposition in a Han Chinese childr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wenli Zhang, Jinhong Zhu, Jun Bian, Chunlei Zhou, Shouhua Zhang, Shaohua He, Hongting Lu, Yizhen Wang, Jing He
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-07-01
Series:BMC Medical Genomics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12920-025-02179-4
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849334016252051456
author Wenli Zhang
Jinhong Zhu
Jun Bian
Chunlei Zhou
Shouhua Zhang
Shaohua He
Hongting Lu
Yizhen Wang
Jing He
author_facet Wenli Zhang
Jinhong Zhu
Jun Bian
Chunlei Zhou
Shouhua Zhang
Shaohua He
Hongting Lu
Yizhen Wang
Jing He
author_sort Wenli Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Hepatoblastoma is the most prevalent liver cancer affecting children, and its intricate causes are closely linked to genetic variations. This study interrogated the influence of the miR-34b/c rs4938723 T > C polymorphism in hepatoblastoma predisposition in a Han Chinese children study population, comprising 193 cases and 773 controls from East China. Methods Genotyping was performed via the TaqMan technique. The association between this genetic variant and hepatoblastoma susceptibility was determined via logistic regression models adjusted for age and sex. Results Our results show that the TC genotype of the miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism is associated with a significantly reduced risk of hepatoblastoma under a heterozygous model (adjusted OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.41–0.84, P = 0.003), whereas the CC genotype is associated with an increased risk under a recessive model (adjusted OR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.17–2.73, P = 0.008). Further stratified analysis revealed that the TC/CC genotypes were linked to a lower risk of hepatoblastoma in girls and those with advanced clinical stages (III + IV). Furthermore, we identified the miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism as an expression quantitative trait locus that affects the expression of nearby genes. The CC genotype was related to a decrease in LAYN expression in the colon, brain, and lung and decreased PPP2R1B expression in the testis. These findings suggest that miR-34b/c rs4938723 T > C has the potential to modify hepatoblastoma predisposition through its regulatory effects on gene expression. Conclusions This study provides evidence for the association between the miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism and hepatoblastoma risk in Chinese Han children from East China, suggesting that this polymorphism may have potential as a biomarker for predicting hepatoblastoma susceptibility in this specific population.
format Article
id doaj-art-9c3828edd8ac478cb4064db39befea7f
institution Kabale University
issn 1755-8794
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Medical Genomics
spelling doaj-art-9c3828edd8ac478cb4064db39befea7f2025-08-20T03:45:41ZengBMCBMC Medical Genomics1755-87942025-07-011811810.1186/s12920-025-02179-4Association of the pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 T > C polymorphism with hepatoblastoma susceptibility in Eastern Chinese children: A five-center case-control studyWenli Zhang0Jinhong Zhu1Jun Bian2Chunlei Zhou3Shouhua Zhang4Shaohua He5Hongting Lu6Yizhen Wang7Jing He8Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical UniversityDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Biobank, Harbin Medical University Cancer HospitalDepartment of General Surgery, Xi’an Children’s Hospital, Xi’an Jiaotong University Affiliated Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pathology, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of General Surgery, Jiangxi Provincial Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pediatric Surgery, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical UniversityDepartment of Pediatric Surgery, Qingdao Women and Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pathology, Anhui Provincial Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical UniversityAbstract Background Hepatoblastoma is the most prevalent liver cancer affecting children, and its intricate causes are closely linked to genetic variations. This study interrogated the influence of the miR-34b/c rs4938723 T > C polymorphism in hepatoblastoma predisposition in a Han Chinese children study population, comprising 193 cases and 773 controls from East China. Methods Genotyping was performed via the TaqMan technique. The association between this genetic variant and hepatoblastoma susceptibility was determined via logistic regression models adjusted for age and sex. Results Our results show that the TC genotype of the miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism is associated with a significantly reduced risk of hepatoblastoma under a heterozygous model (adjusted OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.41–0.84, P = 0.003), whereas the CC genotype is associated with an increased risk under a recessive model (adjusted OR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.17–2.73, P = 0.008). Further stratified analysis revealed that the TC/CC genotypes were linked to a lower risk of hepatoblastoma in girls and those with advanced clinical stages (III + IV). Furthermore, we identified the miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism as an expression quantitative trait locus that affects the expression of nearby genes. The CC genotype was related to a decrease in LAYN expression in the colon, brain, and lung and decreased PPP2R1B expression in the testis. These findings suggest that miR-34b/c rs4938723 T > C has the potential to modify hepatoblastoma predisposition through its regulatory effects on gene expression. Conclusions This study provides evidence for the association between the miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism and hepatoblastoma risk in Chinese Han children from East China, suggesting that this polymorphism may have potential as a biomarker for predicting hepatoblastoma susceptibility in this specific population.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12920-025-02179-4miR-34b/cVariantHepatoblastomaPredisposition
spellingShingle Wenli Zhang
Jinhong Zhu
Jun Bian
Chunlei Zhou
Shouhua Zhang
Shaohua He
Hongting Lu
Yizhen Wang
Jing He
Association of the pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 T > C polymorphism with hepatoblastoma susceptibility in Eastern Chinese children: A five-center case-control study
BMC Medical Genomics
miR-34b/c
Variant
Hepatoblastoma
Predisposition
title Association of the pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 T > C polymorphism with hepatoblastoma susceptibility in Eastern Chinese children: A five-center case-control study
title_full Association of the pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 T > C polymorphism with hepatoblastoma susceptibility in Eastern Chinese children: A five-center case-control study
title_fullStr Association of the pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 T > C polymorphism with hepatoblastoma susceptibility in Eastern Chinese children: A five-center case-control study
title_full_unstemmed Association of the pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 T > C polymorphism with hepatoblastoma susceptibility in Eastern Chinese children: A five-center case-control study
title_short Association of the pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 T > C polymorphism with hepatoblastoma susceptibility in Eastern Chinese children: A five-center case-control study
title_sort association of the pri mir 34b c rs4938723 t c polymorphism with hepatoblastoma susceptibility in eastern chinese children a five center case control study
topic miR-34b/c
Variant
Hepatoblastoma
Predisposition
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12920-025-02179-4
work_keys_str_mv AT wenlizhang associationoftheprimir34bcrs4938723tcpolymorphismwithhepatoblastomasusceptibilityineasternchinesechildrenafivecentercasecontrolstudy
AT jinhongzhu associationoftheprimir34bcrs4938723tcpolymorphismwithhepatoblastomasusceptibilityineasternchinesechildrenafivecentercasecontrolstudy
AT junbian associationoftheprimir34bcrs4938723tcpolymorphismwithhepatoblastomasusceptibilityineasternchinesechildrenafivecentercasecontrolstudy
AT chunleizhou associationoftheprimir34bcrs4938723tcpolymorphismwithhepatoblastomasusceptibilityineasternchinesechildrenafivecentercasecontrolstudy
AT shouhuazhang associationoftheprimir34bcrs4938723tcpolymorphismwithhepatoblastomasusceptibilityineasternchinesechildrenafivecentercasecontrolstudy
AT shaohuahe associationoftheprimir34bcrs4938723tcpolymorphismwithhepatoblastomasusceptibilityineasternchinesechildrenafivecentercasecontrolstudy
AT hongtinglu associationoftheprimir34bcrs4938723tcpolymorphismwithhepatoblastomasusceptibilityineasternchinesechildrenafivecentercasecontrolstudy
AT yizhenwang associationoftheprimir34bcrs4938723tcpolymorphismwithhepatoblastomasusceptibilityineasternchinesechildrenafivecentercasecontrolstudy
AT jinghe associationoftheprimir34bcrs4938723tcpolymorphismwithhepatoblastomasusceptibilityineasternchinesechildrenafivecentercasecontrolstudy