Danish Populations Research Articles

Human gut resistome can be country-specific.

The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance have become emerging threats to human health. The human gut is a large reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes. The gut resistome may be influenced by many factors, but the consumption of antibiotics at both individual and country level should be one of the most significant factors. Previous studies have suggested that the gut resistome of different populations may vary, but lack quantitative characterization supported with relatively large datasets. In this study, we filled the gap by analyzing a large gut resistome dataset of 1,267 human gut samples of America, China, Denmark, and Spain. We built a stacking machine-learning model to determine whether the gut resistome can act as the sole feature to identify the nationality of an individual reliably. It turned out that the machine learning method could successfully identify American, Chinese, Danish, and Spanish populations with F1 score of 0.964, 0.987, 0.971, and 0.986, respectively. Our finding does highlight the significant differences in the composition of the gut resistome among different nationalities. Our study should be valuable for policy-makers to look into the influences of country-specific factors of the human gut resistome.

Variation in juvenile stages and success of male acquisition in Danish and French populations of the parasitic barnacle Sacculina carcini (Cirripedia: Rhizocephala) parasitizing the shore crab Carcinus maenas

ABSTRACTPopulation and developmental characteristics of the rhizocephalan parasite Sacculina carcini were studied in the Limfjord, Denmark and at Roscoff, France. The frequency of juvenile externae in the Limfjord was higher during summer (69.8% of all externae) than during winter (43%). At Roscoff, 62.6% of externae were juvenile in May-June, but only 8.4% in September. The percentage of juveniles with settled males in the Limfjord was higher in summer (20.7% of all juveniles) compared to winter (6.7%). Juveniles at Roscoff in summer had less success in male acquisition (18.0%). The mean number of settled male cyprids per juvenile externa was 0.56 in summer and 0.12 during winter in the Limfjord, but only 0.27 in the summer at Roscoff. Laboratory kept virgin externae invaded by male cyprids ceased to attract additional males within 5–6 days after the first male settlement and then grew into adults within 3 weeks. Externae without males, kept in isolation, did not grow or show any other signs of maturation. Our results confirm and extend previous data on the role of males and their effect on externa development in S. carcini, and show that the success of male acquisition is susceptible to both seasonal and regional variation.

Screening for multiple tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes ricinus ticks from birds in Denmark during spring and autumn migration seasons

Presently, it is uncertain to what extent seasonal migrating birds contribute to the introduction of ticks and tick-associated pathogens in Denmark. To quantify this phenomenon, we captured birds during the spring and autumn migration at three field sites in Denmark and screened them for ticks. Bird-derived ticks were identified to tick species and screened for 37 tick-borne pathogens using real-time PCR. Overall, 807 birds, representing 44 bird species, were captured and examined for ticks during the spring (292 birds) and autumn migrations (515 birds). 10.7% of the birds harboured a total of 179 Ixodes ricinus ticks (38 ticks in spring and 141 in the autumn) with a mean infestation intensity of 2.1 ticks per bird. The European robin (Erithacus rubecula), the common blackbird (Turdus merula), and the common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) had the highest infestation intensities. 60.9% of the ticks were PCR-positive for at least one tick-borne pathogen. Borrelia DNA was found in 36.9% of the ticks. The Borrelia species detected were B. spielmanii (15.1%), B. valaisiana (13.4%), B. garinii (12.3%), B. burgdorferi s.s. (2.2%), B. miyamotoi (1.1%), and B. afzelii (0.6%). In addition, 10.6% and 1.7% of the samples were PCR-positive for spotted fever group rickettsiae and Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis. All of the tick-borne pathogens that we found in the present study are known to occur in Danish forest populations of I. ricinus. Our study indicates that migrating birds can transport ticks and their pathogens from neighboring countries to Denmark including sites in Denmark without a sustainable tick population. Thus, a tick-borne pathogen affecting human or animal health emerging at one location in Europe can rapidly be introduced to other countries by migrating birds. These movements are beyond national veterinary control. The current globalization, climatic and environmental changes affect the potential for introduction and establishment of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in Northern Europe. It is therefore important to quantify the risk for rapid spread and long distance exchange of tick-borne pathogens in Europe.

Latent toxoplasmosis and psychiatric symptoms – A role of tryptophan metabolism?

Toxoplasma gondii (TOX) is a common parasite which infects approximately one third of the human population. In recent years, it has been suggested that latent toxoplasmosis may be a risk factor for the development of mental disorders, particularly schizophrenia and anxiety. With regards to depression the results have been varied.The main objective of this study was to examine subpopulations from the Danish PRISME and GENDEP populations for TOX IgG antibodies. These consisted of: a group with symptoms of anxiety, a group suffering from burnout syndrome, as well as two different subpopulations with depression of differing severity. The secondary objective of this study was to examine whether tryptophan metabolism was altered in TOX-positive subjects within each subpopulation.Our results show that the anxiety and burnout populations were more likely to be TOX IgG seropositive. Furthermore, we find that the moderate-severe but not mild-moderate depressive subpopulation were associated with TOX seropositivety, suggesting a possible role of symptom severity. Additionally, we found that TOX positive subjects in the anxiety and burnout subpopulations had altered tryptophan metabolism. This relationship did not exist in the mild-moderate depressive subpopulation.These results suggest that TOX seropositivity may be related to anxiety, burnout and potentially to severity of depression. We furthermore show that the psychiatric symptoms could be associated with an altered tryptophan metabolism.

Mutation in the beta3 subunit of Guanine nucleotide-binding protein (GNB3) gene is not associated with Type II diabetes mellitus risk: a case–control study of a North Indian population

Context: Genetics play a major role in development and pathophysiology of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Objective: To asses the association of Guanine nucleotide-binding protein (GNB3) (C825T) gene's polymorphism with T2DM.Materials and methods: A case–control study including 400 North Indians was performed using Polymerase Chain Reaction–Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) approach to analyze genetic polymorphism.Results: No significant difference was observed in genotype and allele frequencies of GNB3 gene on comparing cases with controls.Discussion: Our study is in agreement with studies on Polish, Japanese, Hispanic-American and Danish populations who observed no significant association between GNB3 (C825T) polymorphism and T2DM.Conclusion: GNB3 (C825T) polymorphism is not associated with T2DM.

Rapid expansion of the invasive oyster Crassostrea gigas at its northern distribution limit in Europe: Naturally dispersed or introduced?

The Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, was introduced to Europe for aquaculture purposes, and has had a rapid and unforeseen northward expansion in northern Europe. The recent dramatic increase in number of C. gigas populations along the species’ northern distribution limit has questioned the efficiency of Skagerrak as a dispersal barrier for transport and survival of larvae. We investigated the genetic connectivity and possible spreading patterns between Pacific oyster populations on the southern Norwegian coast (4 localities) and Swedish and Danish populations by means of DNA microsatellite analysis of adult oysters, and by simulating larvae drift. In the simulations we used a 3D oceanographic model to explore the influence of recent climate change (1990–2010) on development, survival, and successful spreading of Danish and Swedish Pacific oyster larvae to Norwegian coastal waters. The simulations indicated adequate temperature conditions for development, survival, and settlement of larvae across the Skagerrak in warm years since 2000. However, microsatellite genotyping revealed genetic differences between the Norwegian populations, and between the Norwegian populations and the Swedish and Danish populations, the latter two populations being more similar. This patchwork pattern of genetic dissimilarity among the Norwegian populations points towards multiple local introduction routes rather than the commonly assumed unidirectional entry of larvae drifted from Denmark and Sweden. Alternative origins of introduction and implications for management, such as forecasting and possible mitigation actions, are discussed.

Susceptibility of Danish pollen beetle populations against λ-cyhalothrin and thiacloprid

Winter oilseed rape is an important crop in agriculture, where it plays an essential role in cereal-based crop rotations. The main pest in this crop is the pollen beetle which feeds on developing buds. Since 1999, pyrethroid resistance in the pollen beetle has spread throughout Europe. Denmark and Sweden are of interest due to the early detection of pyrethroid-resistant pollen beetle and because of the presence of both target-site and metabolic resistance in the populations. For almost ten years, neonicotinoid insecticides have been used in oilseed rape as well. In this study, the current resistance situation in Danish pollen beetle populations was conducted. The susceptibility of pollen beetle to the synthetic pyrethroid λ-cyhalothrin as well as the neonicotinoid thiacloprid was investigated. Sixty-eight Danish, as well as 6 Swedish and 10 German populations collected between 2014 and 2016 were tested with λ-cyhalothrin. Two-thirds of the Danish populations collected were classified as pyrethroid resistant, whereas Swedish populations were mostly susceptible and all German populations tested were resistant, mostly at higher levels than those detected in Danish strains. Toxicological parameters were calculated by a two-parameter log-logistic model and showed up to 58-fold variation at LC50 for λ-cyhalothrin and up to 17-fold variation at LC50 for thiacloprid. However, almost all Danish populations were susceptible against thiacloprid and the German populations showed up to sevenfold variation in thiacloprid bioassay. In conclusion, pyrethroid resistance is widespread in Danish pollen beetle populations with regional differences, whereas Danish populations are susceptible to thiacloprid in all regions.

Responses to Saving Commitments: Evidence from Mortgage Run-Offs

We study how individuals respond to the removal of a saving constraint. Mortgage run-offs predictably relax a saving constraint for borrowers who chose mortgage contracts that committed them to effectively save by paying down mortgage principal. Using the universe the Danish populations we identify individuals whose mortgages were on track to run off between 1995 and 2014. We use mortgage runoffs to understand the importance of relaxing a saving constraint on wealth, leisure, consumption, saving, and investment decisions – as well as the mechanism individuals use to circumvent the saving constraint. We find that on average, borrowers use 39 percent of the resources previously devoted to mortgage payments to decrease labor income, and use 53 percent to pay down other debts. The labor supply response is limited to those without substantial assets or debts prior to the run-off, while the debt reduction response is limited to (and one-for-one among) those without substantial assets but with other debt prior to the run-off. We find no statistically significant results for wealth accumulation in bank deposits, stocks, or bonds.

Defenses against keratinolytic bacteria in birds living in radioactively contaminated areas.

Microorganisms have shaped the evolution of a variety of defense mechanisms against pathogenic infections. Radioactivity modifies bacterial communities and, therefore, bird hosts breeding in contaminated areas are expected to adapt to the new bacterial environment. We tested this hypothesis in populations of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) from a gradient of background radiation levels at Chernobyl and uncontaminated controls from Denmark. Investment in defenses against keratinolytic bacteria was measured from feather structure (i.e., susceptibility to degradation) and uropygial secretions. We studied degradability of tail feathers from areas varying in contamination in laboratory experiments using incubation of feathers with a feather-degrading bacterium, Bacillus licheniformis, followed by measurement of the amount of keratin digested. The size of uropygial glands and secretion amounts were quantified, followed by antimicrobial tests against B. licheniformis and quantification of wear of feathers. Feathers of males, but not of females, from highly contaminated areas degraded at a lower rate than those from medium and low contamination areas. However, feathers of both sexes from the Danish populations showed little evidence of degradation. Individual barn swallows from the more contaminated areas of Ukraine produced the largest uropygial secretions with higher antimicrobial activity, although wear of feathers did not differ among males from different populations. In Denmark, swallows produced smaller quantities of uropygial secretion with lower antimicrobial activity, which was similar to swallow populations from uncontaminated areas in Ukraine. Therefore, barn swallows breeding in contaminated areas invested more in all defenses against keratinolytic bacteria than in uncontaminated areas of Ukraine and Denmark, although they had similar levels of feather wear. Strong natural selection exerted by radioactivity may have selected for individuals with higher defense capacity against bacterial infections during the 30years since the Chernobyl disaster.

Microsatellite diversity of the Nordic type of goats in relation to breed conservation: how relevant is pure ancestry?

In the last decades, several endangered breeds of livestock species have been re-established effectively. However, the successful revival of the Dutch and Danish Landrace goats involved crossing with exotic breeds and the ancestry of the current populations is therefore not clear. We have generated genotypes for 27 FAO-recommended microsatellites of these landraces and three phenotypically similar Nordic-type landraces and compared these breeds with central European, Mediterranean and south-west Asian goats. We found decreasing levels of genetic diversity with increasing distance from the south-west Asian domestication site with a south-east-to-north-west cline that is clearly steeper than the Mediterranean east-to-west cline. In terms of genetic diversity, the Dutch Landrace comes next to the isolated Icelandic breed, which has an extremely low diversity. The Norwegian coastal goat and the Finnish and Icelandic landraces are clearly related. It appears that by a combination of mixed origin and a population bottleneck, the Dutch and Danish Land-races are separated from the other breeds. However, the current Dutch and Danish populations with the multicoloured and long-horned appearance effectively substitute for the original breed, illustrating that for conservation of cultural heritage, the phenotype of a breed is more relevant than pure ancestry and the genetic diversity of the original breed. More in general, we propose that for conservation, the retention of genetic diversity of an original breed and of the visual phenotype by which the breed is recognized and defined needs to be considered separately.

New Analytical Tools for Evaluating Dental Care Systems - Results for Germany and Selected Highly Developed Countries.

To propose new analytical tools that facilitate the obtention of quantifiable results for evaluating different dental care systems. The paper describes the construction of a composite indicator that measures dental health on a population basis in one overall indicator, the Dental Health Index (DHI). If the DHI is combined with a Dental Care Cost Index, an efficiency index (EI) can be created. The use of these new instruments for analysing different dental care systems reveals that the Swedish and Danish populations enjoy the best dental health status, followed by US, Japanese, Australian and Canadian citizens. Germany ranks in the middle, while the Dutch and Finnish populations enjoy a lesser degree of dental health. Advanced dental health can be achieved in any oral healthcare system, irrespective of the underlying cost-sharing and funding structures. As a benchmark for industrialised countries, cost levels for dental care between 0.5% and 0.7% of GDP, seem to be the international norm. A population's dental status is determined by the degree to which preventive and tooth-preserving treatment approaches are practised, also amongst adults. The new instruments broaden the diagnostic possibilities for investigating different dental care systems. The greater the degree to which preventive and tooth-preserving treatment methods for the entire population are incorporated in daily clinical practice, the faster and better such systems progress and perform in terms of efficacy and efficiency.

Functional and genetic epidemiological characterisation of the FFAR4 (GPR120) p.R270H variant in the Danish population

Backgroundp.R270H (rs116454156) in the long chain fatty acid 7TM receptor FFAR4 (GPR120) which results in impaired Gαq (Gq) coupled signalling, has been associated with obesity. We aimed to extend the...

Personal Metabolism (PM) coupled with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model: Danish Case Study

Sustainable and informed resource consumption is the key to make everyday living sustainable for entire populations. An intelligent and strategic way of addressing the challenges related with sustainable development of the everyday living of consumers is to identify consumption-determined hotspots in terms of environmental and health burdens, as well as resource consumptions. Analyzing consumer life styles in terms of consumption patterns in order to identify hotspots is hence the focus of this study. This is achieved by taking into account the entire value chain of the commodities consumed in the context of environmental and human health burdens, as well as resource consumptions. A systematic commodity consumption, commodity disposal, and life style survey of 1281 persons living in urbanized Danish areas was conducted. The findings of the survey showed new impact dimensions in terms of Personal Metabolism (PM) patterns of residents living in urbanized areas of Denmark. Extending the PM analysis with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) provided a clear picture of the per capita environmental and human health burdens, as well as resource consumptions, and the exact origin hereof.A generic PM-LCA Model for all the 1281 persons was set-up in Gabi 6. The assessment results obtained applying the model on all 1281 personal consumption scenarios yielded the 1281 Personal Impact Profiles (PIPs). Consumption of food and energy (electricity and thermal energy) proved to be the primary impact sources of PM, followed by transport. The PIPs further revealed that behavioral factors (e.g. different diets, use of cars, household size) affect the profiles. Hence, behavioral changes are one means out of many that humanity will most likely have to rely on during the sustainable development process. The results of this study will help the Danish and other comparable populations to identify and prioritize the steps towards reducing their environmental, human health, and resource consumption burdens.

Iron Age and Anglo-Saxon genomes from East England reveal British migration history.

British population history has been shaped by a series of immigrations, including the early Anglo-Saxon migrations after 400 CE. It remains an open question how these events affected the genetic composition of the current British population. Here, we present whole-genome sequences from 10 individuals excavated close to Cambridge in the East of England, ranging from the late Iron Age to the middle Anglo-Saxon period. By analysing shared rare variants with hundreds of modern samples from Britain and Europe, we estimate that on average the contemporary East English population derives 38% of its ancestry from Anglo-Saxon migrations. We gain further insight with a new method, rarecoal, which infers population history and identifies fine-scale genetic ancestry from rare variants. Using rarecoal we find that the Anglo-Saxon samples are closely related to modern Dutch and Danish populations, while the Iron Age samples share ancestors with multiple Northern European populations including Britain.

Intrauterine Exposure to Paracetamol and Aniline Impairs Female Reproductive Development by Reducing Follicle Reserves and Fertility.

Studies report that fetal exposure to paracetamol/acetaminophen by maternal consumption can interfere with male reproductive development. Moreover, recent biomonitoring data report widespread presence of paracetamol in German and Danish populations, suggesting exposure via secondary (nonpharmaceutical) sources, such as metabolic conversion from the ubiquitous industrial compound aniline. In this study, we investigated the extent to which paracetamol and aniline can interfere with female reproductive development. Intrauterine exposure to paracetamol by gavage of pregnant dams resulted in shortening of the anogenital distance in adult offspring, suggesting that fetal hormone signaling had been disturbed. Female offspring of paracetamol-exposed mothers had ovaries with diminished follicle reserve and reduced fertility. Fetal gonads of exposed animals had also reduced gonocyte numbers, suggesting that the reduced follicle count in adults could be due to early disruption of germ cell development. However, ex vivo cultures of ovaries from 12.5 days post coitum fetuses showed no decrease in proliferation or expression following exposure to paracetamol. This suggests that the effect of paracetamol occurs prior to this developmental stage. Accordingly, using embryonic stem cells as a proxy for primordial germ cells we show that paracetamol is an inhibitor of cellular proliferation, but without cytotoxic effects. Collectively, our data show that intrauterine exposure to paracetamol at levels commonly observed in pregnant women, as well as its precursor aniline, may block primordial germ cell proliferation, ultimately leading to reduced follicle reserves and compromised reproductive capacity later in life.

Population genetics of Phytophthora infestans in Denmark reveals dominantly clonal populations and specific alleles linked to metalaxyl‐M resistance

Control of the potato late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans relies heavily on chemicals. The fungicide metalaxyl‐M (Mefenoxam) has played an important role in controlling the disease, but insensitivity to the fungicide in certain isolates is now of major concern. A genetic basis for resistance to metalaxyl suggests the possibility for linking resistance phenotypes to specific population genetic markers, but in order to do this, the population genetic structure and mode of reproduction in a population must first be well described. The dynamics of metalaxyl‐M resistance in the Danish population of P. infestans was characterized over the course of the 2013 growing season, as was the population genetic structure, using simple sequence repeat (SSR) genotypes and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)‐based mitochondrial haplotyping of over 80 isolates. Both mating types A1 and A2 were present in most fields, but tests for recombination showed that clonal reproduction dominates in Danish populations. Genotype was not linked to haplotype and no differentiation was observed at the haplotype level, but rather between fields. Resistance phenotypes were linked to specific SSR alleles, demonstrating the potential for a more precise SNP‐based marker system for predicting resistance to metalaxyl‐M.

Genetic correlation between leg conformation in young pigs, sow reproduction and longevity in Danish pig populations

Selection for sow longevity using information from traits, which are expressed in early life and genetically highly related to longevity, is expected to be more effective than direct selection as it can overcome the disadvantage of late recording of true longevity. Our aim was to investigate the correlation between leg conformation recorded on young pigs, litter size at first parity and longevity of Danish Landrace and Yorkshire sows. Information on conformation from 116,733 Landrace and 89,963 Yorkshire pigs and information on reproduction and longevity from 27,070 Landrace and 11,895 Yorkshire sows were analyzed. All considered traits were low to moderately heritable, ranging from 0.02 to 0.41. In general, both conformation and reproduction traits were favorably genetically correlated with longevity (0.07–0.39 and 0.00–0.58, respectively). These estimates suggest a potential of improving sow longevity by selection on conformation recorded at young age and litter size at first parity.

Joint genome-wide association study for milk fatty acid traits in Chinese and Danish Holstein populations

The identification of causal genes or genomic regions associated with fatty acids (FA) will enhance our understanding of the pathways underlying FA synthesis and provide opportunities for changing milk fat composition through a genetic approach. The linkage disequilibrium between adjacent markers is highly consistent between the Chinese and Danish Holstein populations, such that a joint genome-wide association study (GWAS) can be performed. In this study, a joint GWAS was performed for 16 milk FA traits based on data of 784 Chinese and 371 Danish Holstein cows genotyped by a high-density bovine single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. A total of 486,464 SNP markers on 29 bovine autosomes were used. Bonferroni corrections were applied to adjust the significance thresholds for multiple testing at the genome- and chromosome-wide levels. According to the analysis of either the Chinese or Danish data individually, the total numbers of overlapping SNP that were significant at the chromosome level were 94 for C14:1, 208 for the C14 index, and 1 for C18:0. Joint analysis using the combined data of the 2 populations detected greater numbers of significant SNP compared with either of the individual populations alone for 7 and 10 traits at the genome- and chromosome-wide significance levels, respectively. Greater numbers of significant SNP were detected for C18:0 and the C18 index in the Chinese population compared with the joint analysis. Sixty-five significant SNP across all traits had significantly different effects in the 2 populations. Ten FA were influenced by a quantitative trait loci (QTL) region including DGAT1. Both C14:1 and the C14 index were influenced by a QTL region including SCD1 in the combined population. Other QTL regions also showed significant associations with the studied FA. A large region (14.9–24.9 Mbp) in BTA26 significantly influenced C14:1 and the C14 index in both populations, mostly likely due to the SNP in SCD1. A QTL region (69.97–73.69 Mbp) on BTA9 showed a significantly different effect on C18:0 between the 2 populations. Detection of these important SNP and the corresponding QTL regions will be helpful for follow-up studies to identify causal mutations and their interaction with environments for milk FA in dairy cattle.

The structure of allozyme variation in Silene nutans (Caryophyllaceae) in Denmark and in north-western Europe

We used allozymes to investigate the structure of genetic variation in populations of the perennial herb Silene nutans at local (Denmark), regional (Nordic area) and wide (over a 19° latitudinal gradient) geographic scales in north-western Europe. New data from Denmark were combined with data from previously studied Fennoscandian and western populations. We related patterns of nuclear variation for 26 Fennoscandian and western populations to the phylogeographic patterns revealed by four plastid (chloroplast) DNA markers. Levels of genetic diversity were similar within Denmark and Sweden/N Finland. Compared to Sweden/N Finland, the Danish populations show lower and nonsignificant FIS values. The genetic structure reveals no grouping of the Danish populations according to their geographic origin (Jutland-Zealand). Within Nordic populations (from Denmark, Sweden and N Finland), there is a weak geographic pattern of allozyme differentiation. The high latitude populations are genetically depauperate compared with populations from Western Europe. At the whole north-western European scale, the structure of allozyme variation within S. nutans shows geographic differentiation (Nordic versus western populations), and some congruence with plastid phylogeographic patterns. A high level of allozyme genetic differentiation is found between Nordic and western populations (8.0 %), but also between populations within haplotype categories (19.4 %). The overall geographic structure of allozyme variation of S. nutans appears to be primarily a reflection of past (postglacial) migration history, whereas more recent adaptive and stochastic processes have occurred at more local scales.

Association of TCF7L2 Genetic Polymorphisms with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the Uygur Population of China.

Background: Genetic polymorphisms of the transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene have been reported to be strongly associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Icelandic, Danish and American populations and further replicated in other European populations, African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Asian populations. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of TCF7L2 gene polymorphisms with T2DM in a Uygur population of China. Methods: 877 T2DM patients and 871 controls were selected for the present study. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs12255372 and rs7901695) were genotyped by using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The associations of SNPs and haplotypes with T2DM and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure of the TCF7L2 gene were analyzed. Results: For total participants and male, the distribution of rs12255372 alleles and the dominant model (Guanine Guanine (GG) genotype vs. Guanine Thymine (GT) genotype + Thymine Thymine (TT) genotype) showed significant difference between T2DM and control subjects (for allele: p = 0.013 and p = 0.002, respectively; for dominant model: p = 0.028 and p = 0.008, respectively). The distribution of rs7901695 alleles and the dominant model (TT genotype vs. Thymine Cytosine (TC) genotype + Cytosine Cytosine (CC) genotype) for total participants and male showed significant difference between T2DM and control subjects (for allele: both p = 0.001; for dominant model: p = 0.006 and p = 0.008, respectively). Conclusions: Our data suggested that the genetic polymorphisms of the TCF7L2 gene were associated with T2DM in the Uygur population of China.