Genetic Variants of IHNF4A/I, IWFS1/I, IDUSP9/I, IFTO/I, and IZFAND6/I Genes Are Associated with Prediabetes Susceptibility and Inflammatory Markers in the Saudi Arabian Population

• Published in: Genes Vol. 14; no. 3
• Main Authors: Binjawhar, Dalal N, Ansari, Mohammed G. A, Sabico, Shaun, Hussain, Syed Danish, Alenad, Amal M, Alokail, Majed S, Al-Masri, Abeer A, Al-Daghri, Nasser M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 01.02.2023
• Subjects: Biological markers; Genetic aspects; Genetic variation; Health aspects; Prediabetic state; Risk factors; Saudi Arabia
• ISSN: 2073-4425; 2073-4425
• DOI: 10.3390/genes14030536

Prediabetes is a reversible, intermediate stage of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Lifestyle changes that include healthy diet and exercise can substantially reduce progression to T2DM. The present study explored the association of 37 T2DM- and obesity-linked single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with prediabetes risk in a homogenous Saudi Arabian population. A total of 1129 Saudi adults [332 with prediabetes (29%) and 797 normoglycemic controls] were randomly selected and genotyped using the KASPar SNP genotyping method. Anthropometric and various serological parameters were measured following standard procedures. Heterozygous GA of HNF4A-rs4812829 (0.64; 95% CI 0.47–0.86; p < 0.01), heterozygous TC of WFS1-rs1801214 (0.60; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44–0.80; p < 0.01), heterozygous GA of DUSP9-rs5945326 (0.60; 95% CI 0.39–0.92; p = 0.01), heterozygous GA of ZFAND6-rs11634397 (0.75; 95% CI 0.56–1.01; p = 0.05), and homozygous AA of FTO-rs11642841 (1.50; 95% CI 0.8–1.45; p = 0.03) were significantly associated with prediabetes, independent of age and body mass index (BMI). Additionally, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in rs11634397 (AA) with a median of 5389.0 (2767.4–7412.8) were significantly higher than in the heterozygous GA genotype with a median of 1736.3 (1024.4–4452.0) (p < 0.01). In conclusion, only five of the 37 genetic variants previously linked to T2DM and obesity in the Saudi Arabian population [HNF4A-rs4812829, WFS1-rs1801214, DUSP9-rs5945326, ZFAND6-rs11634397, FTO-rs11642841] were associated with prediabetes susceptibility. Prospective studies are needed to confirm the potential clinical value of the studied genetic variants of interest.