Lack of association between the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene (I/D) polymorphism and diabetic nephropathy in Tunisian type 2 diabetic patients.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism is associated with diabetic nephropathy and type 2 diabetes in the Tunisian population.


METHODS
A case-control study was conducted among 141 unrelated type 2 diabetic patients with (90 patients) or without nephropathy (51 patients) and 103 non-diabetic controls with normal fasting blood glucose. Genotyping was performed using a nested polymerase chain reaction amplification in order to identify correctly heterozygous individuals.


RESULTS
The distribution of DD, ID and II genotypes did not significantly differ between type 2 diabetic patients with or without nephropathy (DD: 44%; ID: 46%; II: 10% vs. DD: 41%; ID: 47 %; II: 12%, respectively). There was also no significant statistical difference between the genotype distribution and allele frequencies of the (I/D) polymorphism in all type 2 diabetic subjects compared to non-diabetic controls with normal fasting blood glucose (DD: 43%; ID: 46%; II: 11% vs. DD: 37%; ID: 48%; II: 15%, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
In the present preliminary study, the (I/D) polymorphism within the ACE gene is likely not associated with diabetic nephropathy nor with type 2 diabetes in the Tunisian studied population.
Arfa
Imen
I
Molecular Investigation of Genetic Orphan Diseases Research Unit, Institut Pasteur de Tunis. Tunis, Tunisia.
Abid
Abdelmajid
A
Nouira
Sonia
S
Elloumi-Zghal
Houda
H
Malouche
Dhafer
D
Mannai
Imen
I
Zorgati
Mohamed Majdi
MM
Ben Alaya
Nissaf
N
Rebai
Ahmed
A
Zouari
Béchir
B
Ben Ammar
Slim
S
Ben Rayana
Mohamed Chiheb
MC
Hmida
Slama
S
Blousa-Chabchoub
Samira
S
Abdelhak
Sonia
S
D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D014416:Tunisia
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A