Type 2 diabetes-associated genetic variants of FTO, LEPR, PPARg , and TCF7L2 in gestational diabetes in a Brazilian population

OBJECTIVE: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a metabolic disorder that shares pathophysiologic features with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the polymorphisms fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) rs1421085, leptin receptor (LEPR) rs1137100, rs1137101, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARg) rs1801282, and transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) rs7901695 with GDM. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 252 unrelated Euro-Brazilian pregnant women were classified into two groups according to the 2015 criteria of the American and Brazilian Diabetes Association: healthy pregnant women (n = 125) and pregnant women with GDM (n = 127), matched by age. The polymorphisms were genotyped using fluorescent probes (TaqMan(®)). RESULTS: All groups were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The genotype and allele frequencies of the studied polymorphisms did not show significant differences between the groups (P > 0.05). In the healthy and GDM groups, the C allele frequencies (95% CI) of the FTO rs1421085 polymorphism were 36.8% [31–43%] and 35.0% [29–41%]; the G allele frequencies (95% CI) of the LEPR rs1137100 polymorphism were 24.8% [19–30%] and 22.8% [18–28%]; the G allele frequencies (95% CI) of the LEPR rs1137101 polymorphism were 43.6% [37–50%] and 42.9% [37–49%]; the G allele frequencies (95% CI) of the PPARg rs1801282 polymorphism were 7.6% [4–11%] and 8.3% [5–12%]; and the C allele frequencies (95% CI) of the TCF7L2 rs7901695 polymorphism were 33.6% [28–39%] and 39.0% [33–45%], respectively. CONCLUSION: The studied polymorphisms were not associated with GDM in a Brazilian population.