Background and purpose: A long non-coding transcript Lnc-Ang362 plays critical role on the expression of miR-221 and miR-222. Knockdown of Lnc-Ang362 reduces the expression of these miRNAs as well as vessel smooth muscle cell proliferation in response to vascular injury. This study, for the first time, considered the possible association between Lnc-Ang362 rs7887062A/G polymorphism with the risk of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) in low risk patients.
Materials and methods: In this case-control study, 299 subjects, including 150 patients with atherosclerotic CAD and 149 healthy individuals (control group) enrolled. Genotyping of the rs7887062 was done using PCR-RFLP method. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.19.
Results: The frequency of heterozygote AG and G-allele carriage (GG+AG) genotypes were greater in controls compared to the patients, supporting the protective role against CAD. The G allele reduced the risk of disease (OR: 0.32, 95%CI: 0.15- 0.7, P=0.004). In cross tabulation of the study population based on gender, reduced risk of CAD in the presence of AG and G-carriage genotypes was seen in both males and females.
Conclusion: Lnc-Ang362 variant could be considered as a molecular screening marker for low risk susceptible subjects to atherosclerotic CAD.