Investigating the rs2237892 and rs231362 Polymorphisms of KCNQ1 Gene Associations with Type 2 Diabetes in an Iranian Population (Yazd Province)

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a worldwide prevalent metabolic disorder and the cause of many morbidities and mortalities. KCNQ1 gene encodes α-subunit of voltage-gated potassium (K+) channel which plays a role in insulin secretion in the pancreas, thus its variants may confer susceptibility to diabetes. Recognition of genetic variants involved in T2DM could help the early diagnosis and prevention of the disease. The main purpose of this paper was to investigate the frequencies of rs231362 and rs2237892 polymorphisms of KCNQ1 gene in T2DM patients and comparing these frequencies with normal subjects in an Iranian population from Yazd province, Iran.

This case-control study was conducted on 166 patients with T2DM and 168 normal subjects. After obtaining the informed consent, 5 ml peripheral blood was taken from the cases and controls and then DNA was extracted. The molecular investigation was done using 4-primer ARMS PCR and PCR-RFLP methods.

Statistical analysis showed that GG genotype [OR= 3.9 (2.1-7.1), P-value< 0.001] and G allele [OR=2.85 (2.07-3.93), P-value< 0.001] frequency of rs231362 polymorphism was significantly different between case and control groups. While rs2237892 polymorphism did not show any differences between the two groups.

The result of this study showed that GG genotype and G allele of rs231362 polymorphism can be related to T2DM susceptibility in the population under study.