[Association of the cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript gene with type 2 diabetes mellitus].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether genetic variation in cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) gene might contribute to the genesis of type 2 diabetes.


METHODS
Screening for mutations in the entire coding region for the CART gene were performed with polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) in 180 normoglycemic control subjects and 221 patients with type 2 diabetes.


RESULTS
(1) Adenine deletion was identified at position 1,457 nucleotide located at untranslation area of exon 3. In normal weight control, the frequencies of CART-A + and CART-A-alleles were 83.6% and 16.4% respectively. The frequencies of CART-A + A +, A + A-, A-A- genotype were 68.9%, 29.4% and 1.7% respectively. (2) In diabetic patients, the frequencies of CART-A + and A-alleles were 84.6% and 15.4% respectively; the frequencies of CART-A + A +, A + A-, A-A- genotype were 71.9%, 25.3% and 2.7% respectively. The frequency of A deletion of the CART gene in diabetic patients did not differ significantly from normoglycemic control subjects. (3) Diabetic patients with the A deletion had increased total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.


CONCLUSIONS
Polymorphism was found in the 3'-untranslated region (Delta A1457) of CART in Chinese. A deletion in CART is not associated with type 2 diabetes, but may contribute to dyslipidemia.
Fu
Mao
M
Department of Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China.
Cheng
Hua
H
Chen
Lihong
L
Wu
Bin
B
Cai
Mengyin
M
Xie
Ding
D
Fu
Zuzhi
Z
D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D044466:Asian People; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D000098882:Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Protein
D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D000098882:Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Protein; D000661:Amphetamine; D003042:Cocaine