MicroRNA single-nucleotide polymorphisms and susceptibility to gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is the second most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a novel class of endogenous noncoding regulatory sequences that interact with tumor oncogenes and suppressors. Many studies have indicated that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNAs influence the susceptibility of gastric cancer. MiRNA SNPs have been explored for several years as potential biomarkers of gastric cancer. In this review, we discuss five miRNA SNPs (miR-146a rs2910164 G/C, miR-196a2 rs11614913 C/T, miR149 rs2292832 T/C, and miR-27a rs11671784 G/A and rs895819 A/G) to illustrate the achievements in this field and to stimulate further research. We also mention three other gastric-cancer-associated miRNA SNPs (miR-34 rs4938723 T/C, miR-107 rs2296616 T/C, and miR-214 rs114673809 G/A).