The Correlation Between the SNP rs1049594 and Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is the fifth leading cause of death within the Hispanic population in the United States. Composed of Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Cubans as well as Central and South Americans, 50% of US Hispanic adults are expected to develop T2D. Diabetes can induce several serious health complications if left untreated such as cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are genetic markers used in research to associate risks of disease. SNPs such as rs1049549 have been linked to Type 2 Diabetes in current studies and the risk allele associated within this specific SNP is the T>C allele. The primary objective for this study was to discern whether or not rs1049549 is linked to Type 2 Diabetes in the Hispanic population of Southern California. We tested 32 control and 24 diabetic samples taken from buccal swabs and the DNA extracted from these specimens were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR amplicons were visualized using gel electrophoresis, digested using the enzyme BstN1, and visualized under gel electrophoresis to distinguish between both versions of the allele. The results from this study will be used to better understand the relationship of this SNP and diabetes within the Hispanic population in Southern California.