The Interaction Effects of pri-let-7a-1 rs10739971 with PGC and ERCC6 Gene Polymorphisms in Gastric Cancer and Atrophic Gastritis

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction effects of pri-let-7a-1 rs10739971 with pepsinogen C (PGC) and excision repair cross complementing group 6 (ERCC6) gene polymorphisms and its association with the risks of gastric cancer and atrophic gastritis. We hoped to identify miRNA polymorphism or a combination of several polymorphisms that could serve as biomarkers for predicting the risk of gastric cancer and its precancerous diseases. Methods: Sequenom MassARRAY platform method was used to detect polymorphisms of pri-let-7a-1 rs10739971 G -> A, PGC rs4711690 C -> G, PGC rs6458238 G -> A, PGC rs9471643 G -> C, and ERCC6 rs1917799 in 471 gastric cancer patients, 645 atrophic gastritis patients and 717 controls. Results: An interaction effect of pri-let-7a-1 rs10739971 polymorphism with ERCC6 rs1917799 polymorphism was observed for the risk of gastric cancer (P-interaction = 0.026); and interaction effects of pri-let-7a-1 rs10739971 polymorphism with PGC rs6458238 polymorphism (P-interaction = 0.012) and PGC rs9471643 polymorphism (P-interaction = 0.039) were observed for the risk of atrophic gastritis. Conclusion: The combination of pri-let-7a-1 rs10739971 polymorphism and ERCC6 and PGC polymorphisms could provide a greater prediction potential than a single polymorphism on its own. Large-scale studies and molecular mechanism research are needed to confirm our findings.