Bioinformatics prioritization of SNPs perturbing microRNA regulation of hematological malignancy-implicated genes

• SNPs in miRNAs disrupt miRNA–target interactions and may contribute to develop hematological malignancies.
• Bioinformatics pipelines can prioritize relevant SNPs in miRNA-targets associated with hematological malignancies.
• Prioritized SNPs in miRNAs and their targets can offer useful insights about their role in hematological malignancies.

The contribution of microRNAs (miRNAs) to cancer has been extensively investigated and it became obvious that a strict regulation of miRNA–mRNA regulatory network is crucial for safeguarding cell health. Apart from the direct impact of miRNA dysregulation in cancer pathogenesis, genetic variations in miRNAs are likely to disrupt miRNA–target interaction. Indeed, many evidences suggested that SNPs within miRNA regulome are associated with the development of different hematological malignancies. However, a full catalog of SNPs within miRNAs target sites of genes relevant to hematopoiesis and hematological malignancies is still lacking. Accordingly, we aimed to systematically identify and characterize such SNPs and provide a prioritized list of most potentially disrupting SNPs. Although in the present study we did not address the functional significance of these potential disturbing variants, we believe that our compiled results will be valuable for researchers interested in determining the role of target-SNPs in the development of hematological malignancies.