Abstract

BACKGROUND
It is well known that genetic component plays an important role in developing obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. A number of candidate genes have been suggested, but the major gene determining the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes has not yet been uncovered. Previous studies suggest that polymorphisms of the intestinal fatty acid binding protein (FABP2) and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1) gene were related with obesity and/or insulin resistance in several populations. METHODS: We examined 76 type 2 diabetic patients (aged 44+/-6 years) and 96 healthy controls (aged 25+/-3 years). Ala54Thr polymorphism of the FABP2 gene and A to G polymorphism (-3826) of the UCP-1 gene were determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism method. RESULTS: The Thr54 allele of the FABP2 gene was found with a frequency of 0.33 in nondiabetic controls and 0.36 in type 2 diabetic patients. The genotype frequency of the Ala54Thr polymorphism was similar in nondiabetic and diabetic subjects ( 2=0.87, P=0.64). The -3826 G allele of UCP-1 gene was found with a frequency of 0.51 in nondiabetic controls, and 0.46 in type 2 diabetic patients. The genotype frequency of the -3826 A to G polymorphism was also similar in nondiabetic and diabetic subjects ( 2=1.46, p=0.46). When the subjects of each groups were subdivided into nonobese and obese group by BMI of 25 kg/m2, there was no significant difference in genotype frequencies of the UCP-1 and FABP2 gene polymorphisms. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that either the Ala54Thr polymorphism of the FABP2 gene or the A to G polymorphism (-3826) of UCP-1 gene do not play a major role in developing type 2 diabetes mellitus or obesity in Korean.

• Keywords: Type 2 diabetes mellitus;Gene polymorphism;Fatty acid binding protein 2;Uncoupling protein 1