S100B gene polymorphisms are associated with the S100B level and Alzheimer’s disease risk by altering the miRNA binding capacity

To examine the role of S100B in genetic susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), we conducted a case-control study to analyze four polymorphism loci (rs2839364, rs1051169, rs2300403, and rs9722) of the S100B gene and AD risk. We found an independent increased risk of AD in ApoE ε4(-) subjects carrying the rs9722 AA-genotype (OR = 2.622, 95% CI = 1.399–4.915, P = 0.003). Further investigation revealed the serum S100B levels to be lower in rs9722 GG carriers than in rs9722 AA carriers (P = 0.003). We identified three miRNAs (miR-340-3p, miR-593-3p, miR-6827-3p) in which the seed match region covered locus rs9722. Luciferase assays indicated that the rs9722 G allele has a higher binding affinity to miR-6827-3p than the rs9722 A allele, leading to a significantly decreased fluorescence intensity. Subsequent western blot analysis showed that the S100B protein level of SH-SY5Y cells, which carry the rs9722 G allele, decreased significantly following miR-6827-3p stimulation (P = 0.009). The present study suggests that the rs9722 polymorphism may upregulate the expression of S100B by altering the miRNA binding capacity and may thus increase the AD risk. This finding would be of great help for the early diagnosis of AD.