Consistente asociación del polimorfismo rs7903146 en el gen TCF7L2 con mayor riesgo de diabetes en población mediterránea española

Abstract

Introduction Type 2 diabetes (T2D) can induce the expression of cell adhesion molecules (ICAM, VCAM) and cytokines (IL-6 and CRP). Possibly related to these mechanisms, the transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene has been associated with T2D in distinct populations, but there are few data for the Mediterranean population. Our objective was to study the association of this gene with T2D and inflammation markers in a population at high cardiovascular risk. Methods We included 1,001 high cardiovascular risk participants in the PREDIMED-Valencia study. Fasting blood glucose and plasma lipid concentrations were determined. Plasma concentrations of IL-6, CRP, VCAM and ICAM were also determined in a random subsample. The rs7903146 (C > T) polymorphism in the TCF7L2 gene was analyzed. Results The prevalence of T2D was 47.4%. The frequency of genotypes was 38.1% for CC, 47.7% for CT and 14.3% for TT (the allelic frequency of the T allele was 0.381). We found statistically significant differences in fasting plasma glucose concentrations depending on the TCF7L2 genotype (CC: 117.3 ± 37.8; CT: 124.1 ± 41.1; TT: 128.7 ± 45.2 mg/dl; p = 0.011). T allele carriers had an increased risk of T2D (OR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.05-1.80; p = 0.022) compared with CC individuals. The T allele was also associated with higher concentrations of VCAM (CC: 914.3 ± 355.4; CT: 1147.0 ± 422.6; TT: 1258.1 ± 447.3 ng/ml; p = 0.001). No statistically significant differences were found for the other markers of inflammation. Conclusion Consistent with the results obtained in other European populations, this study found that the T allele of the rs7903146 polymorphism in the TCF7L2 gene is associated with an increased risk of T2D in a Mediterranean Spanish population.