Association of rs2000999 in the haptoglobin gene with total cholesterol, HDL-C, and LDL-C levels in Mexican type 2 diabetes patients

Recently, studies have shown significant association between the rs2000999 polymorphism in the haptoglobin-encoding gene (HP) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and total cholesterol (TC) levels, which are important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. However, the association of rs2000999 with serum lipids in Latin American diabetic populations is still uncharacterized. Here, we analyzed the association of rs2000999 with TC, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and LDL-C levels in 546 Mexican adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and in 654 controls without T2D. In this observational case-control study we included adults from 4 centers of the Mexican Social Security Institute in Mexico City recruited from 2012 to 2015. TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides (TG), and glucose levels were measured by an enzymatic colorimetric method. The variant rs2000999 was genotyped using TaqMan real time polymerase chain reaction. The percentage of Native-American ancestry showed a negative association with the rs2000999 A allele. In contrast, the rs2000999 A allele had a strong positive association with European ancestry, and to a lesser extent, with African ancestry. Linear regression was used to estimate the association between the variant rs2000999 and lipid concentrations, using different genetic models. Under codominant and recessive models, rs2000999 was significantly associated with TC and LDL-C levels in the T2D group and in controls without T2D. In addition, the group with T2D showed a significant association between the variant and HDL-C levels. In summary, the rs2000999 A allele in Mexican population is positively associated with the percentage of European and negatively associated with Native American ancestry. Carriers of the A allele have increased levels of TC and LDL-C, independently of T2D diagnosis, and also increased concentrations of HDL-C in the T2D sample.