Hsa-mir-1269 genetic variant contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma susceptibility through affecting SOX6.

MiR-1269 is an essential oncogene that plays crucial roles in regulating the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we mainly focused on the polymorphisms (rs73239138) in miR-1069 to explore its potential role in regulation of target genes in liver cancer. We detected increased level of miR-1269 in 80 HCC patients. SOX6 was predicted as a potential target gene of miR-as. Notably, Pearson correlation analysis indicated that patients harbored with miR-1269 wild type (rs73239138, GG genotype), positively correlated with SOX6 expression. Over-expression of miR-1269 with GG genotype promoted cell proliferation comparing with AA genotype, which is acompanied by a decreased level of SOX6. Further dual luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-1269 with GG genotype have a stronger binding ability with SOX6. SNP rs73239138 in miR-1269 was very likey to be involved in the development of HCC by acting as a protective factor, as the carriers of GA and GG genotype resulted in a smaller tumor size. In conclusion, our results support that SNP rs73239138 in miR-1269 is a protective factor which prevents binding to 3'UTR of SOX6 and there by suppresses tumor growth in HCC.