Risk variant in miR-544a binding site in CCDC170 is associated with osteoporosis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in regulating bone formation and homeostasis. Genomic variations within miRNA target sites may therefore be important sources of genetic differences in osteoporosis risk. To investigate this possibility, we searched for miRNA recognition sites within genes using the TargetScan, miRNASNP and miRbase databases. In this study, we showed that miR-544a differentially regulated the allele variants of rs6932603 in the CCDC170 3 ' untranslated (3'-UTR). We also showed that miR-544a suppressed osteogenesis and promoted osteoclastogenesis by regulating the expressions of Runx2, Osterix, Alp, Col1a1, Osteopontin (OPN) ,Osteocalcin (OCN) and Osteoprotegerin (OPG). Our results suggest that allele-specific regulation of CCDC170 by miR-544a explains the observed disease risk, and provides a potential therapeutic target for osteoporosis therapy.