ABSTRACT
Objective Genetic variants in microRNA (miRNA) binding regions of the gene 3′untranslated region (3′UTR) can affect the regulation of gene expression .The aim of this study was to predict insulin like growth factor 2 receptor (IGF2R) 3′UTR variants and to test their effects on IGF2R gene expression by bioinformatic analysis . Methods Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with minor allele frequency (MAF) in the IGF2R gene 3′UTR were obtained from online databases .The frequency distribution of all the selected IGF2R 3′UTR variants genotypes among the different populations and the linkage disequilibrium ( LD) values of all SNPs were calculated .Additionally , the potential miRNA binding sites were also predicted with the help of online bioinformatic tool . Finally, correlation analysis of the mRNA expression of IGF 2R genotype and different variant genotypes in the lymphoblastoid cell lines was performed. Results In total, 33 SNPs were reported in the 3′UTR, of which only five SNPs (rs8191959, rs200237825, rs3832385, rs201568808, rs1050015) had available minor allele frequency (MAF) values ( >0.05).And only the effect of rs1050015 variant on IGF2R mRNA expression level had significant difference (P=0.010). Conclusion The expression of IGF2R gene can be up-regulated by rs10500105 variant in the 3′UTR, which might support its use as markers of cancer risk and individualized treatment.