---

Background & Objectives: Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world and Ardabil province is in the top ranks in the world. MicroRNAs are non-coding RNA molecules with a length of 18 to 21 nucleotides and due to their regulatory role in post- transcriptional gene expression; single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could affect their function on target genes regulation.
Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of 150 healthy volunteers, which were born and living in Ardabil province, 30 SNPs in microRNA genes have been detected by the Whole Exome Sequencing assay. Then, the obtained results were evaluated using Sanger-based PCR-Sequencing method. The Pearson correlation test was used for finding significant relationships.
Results: After confirming the WES results, the population frequency of the selected variants was compared with the general populations of Iran, Europe and the world. Based on the age-standardized rate (ASR), six variants with significant differences, including rs10061133, rs12220909, rs12983273, rs2292832, rs2505901 and rs6505162 were observed.
Conclusion: According to the previous case-control studies which indicate the association between the variants rs10061133, rs12220909, rs12983273, rs2505901, and rs6505162 and gastric carcinogenesis in various populations, the observed significant differences in our population could imply on the presence of the cancer susceptibility in Ardabil province.