NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Haplotype 121/221 of the calpain-10 gene may be associated with the development of gestational diabetes mellitus, according to a report in the June issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Calpain-10 encodes a protease involved in the oxidation of glucose in skeletal muscle cells, the authors explain, and the haplotype 112/121 of the gene has been linked to impaired glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glucose, and type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Christof Worda and colleagues from University of Vienna Medical School, Austria examined the 10 most common haplotype combinations of calpain-10, involving single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) 43, 19, and 63, in 80 pregnant women. The subjects included 40 with gestational diabetes mellitus and 40 without gestational diabetes mellitus.
Homozygosity for allele 1 of SNP 63 was significantly more common among women with gestational diabetes mellitus (59%) than among women without the condition (41%), the authors report, but there were no significant differences in allele distribution for SNPs 19 and 43.
Gestational diabetes mellitus was present in all women with the haplotype combination 121/221, the report indicates, the only combination showing statistically significant differences between the two groups of women.
Moreover, the researchers note, women with 121/221 had significantly higher fasting glucose concentrations and 1-hour values in the oral glucose tolerance test. They did not differ, however, with respect to hemoglobin A1c or 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test values.
“Although genetic factors are likely to be involved in the onset of gestational diabetes mellitus, no gene loci have been identified to date,” the investigators write.
“We did not find studies that examined the role of mutations of the calpain-10 gene in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus,” they note.
“Our results indicate that the haplotype 121/221 of the calpain-10 gene may be associated with disturbances of glucose metabolism during pregnancy,” the authors conclude.
Source: Obstet Gynecol 2004;103:1235-1240. [ Google search on this article ]
Copyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
