Effects of a rat model of gestational hypothyroidism on forebrain dopaminergic, GABAergic, and serotonergic systems and related behaviors.

We investigated the effects of maternal hypothyroidism on forebrain dopaminergic, GABAergic, and serotonergic systems and related behavior in adult rat offspring. Experimental gestational hypothyroidism (EGH) was induced by administering 0.02% methimazole (MMI) to pregnant rats from gestational day 9 to delivery. Neurotransmitter-related protein and gene expression were evaluated in offspring forebrain at postnatal day (P) 120. Exploratory behavior, contextual fear conditioning, locomotion, and 30-day reserpine Parkinson induction were assessed from P75-P120. Protein and gene expression assessments of medial prefrontal cortex showed group differences in dopaminergic, GABAergic, and serotonergic receptors, catabolic enzymes, and transporters. Striatum of MMI offspring showed an isolated decrease in the dopaminergic enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase. MMI exposure increased GABA and dopamine receptor expression in amygdala. MMI offspring also had decreased state anxiety and poor contextual fear conditioning. We found that baseline locomotion was not changed, but reserpine treatment significantly reduced locomotion only in MMI offspring. Our results indicated that restriction of maternal thyroid hormones reduced dopaminergic, GABAergic, and serotoninergic forebrain components in offspring. Tyrosine hydroxylase deficiency in the striatum may underlie enhanced reserpine induction of Parkinson-like movement in these same offspring. Deficits across different neurotransmitter systems in medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala may underlie decreased state anxiety-like behavior and reduced fear conditioning in offspring, but no changes in trait anxiety-like behavior occurred with maternal MMI exposure. These findings strongly support the hypothesis that adequate delivery of maternal thyroid hormones to the fetus is crucial to the development of the central nervous system critical for emotion and motor regulation.

A Loss-of-Function Splice Acceptor Variant in IGF2 Is Protective for Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) affects more than 415 million people worldwide, and its costs to the health care system continue to rise. To identify common or rare genetic variation with potential therapeutic implications for T2D, we analyzed and replicated genome-wide protein coding variation in a total of 8,227 individuals with T2D and 12,966 individuals without T2D of Latino descent. We identified a novel genetic variant in the IGF2 gene associated with ∼20% reduced risk for T2D. This variant, which has an allele frequency of 17% in the Mexican population but is rare in Europe, prevents splicing between IGF2 exons 1 and 2. We show in vitro and in human liver and adipose tissue that the variant is associated with a specific, allele-dosage-dependent reduction in the expression of IGF2 isoform 2. In individuals who do not carry the protective allele, expression of IGF2 isoform 2 in adipose is positively correlated with both incidence of T2D and increased plasma glycated hemoglobin in individuals without T2D, providing support that the protective effects are mediated by reductions in IGF2 isoform 2. Broad phenotypic examination of carriers of the protective variant revealed no association with other disease states or impaired reproductive health. These findings suggest that reducing IGF2 isoform 2 expression in relevant tissues has potential as a new therapeutic strategy for T2D, even beyond the Latin American population, with no major adverse effects on health or reproduction.

Amazon boundary layer aerosol concentration sustained by vertical transport during rainfall.

The nucleation of atmospheric vapours is an important source of new aerosol particles that can subsequently grow to form cloud condensation nuclei in the atmosphere. Most field studies of atmospheric aerosols over continents are influenced by atmospheric vapours of anthropogenic origin (for example, ref. 2) and, in consequence, aerosol processes in pristine, terrestrial environments remain poorly understood. The Amazon rainforest is one of the few continental regions where aerosol particles and their precursors can be studied under near-natural conditions, but the origin of small aerosol particles that grow into cloud condensation nuclei in the Amazon boundary layer remains unclear. Here we present aircraft- and ground-based measurements under clean conditions during the wet season in the central Amazon basin. We find that high concentrations of small aerosol particles (with diameters of less than 50 nanometres) in the lower free troposphere are transported from the free troposphere into the boundary layer during precipitation events by strong convective downdrafts and weaker downward motions in the trailing stratiform region. This rapid vertical transport can help to maintain the population of particles in the pristine Amazon boundary layer, and may therefore influence cloud properties and climate under natural conditions.

Genetic Variants in Toll-Like Receptor 4 Gene and Their Association Analysis with Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate in Mexican American Families.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is one of the regulators of the innate immune response. Genetic variations in TLR4 have been associated with inflammatory diseases, including type 2 diabetes. However, to our knowledge, there are no reports on the role of variations in TLR4 in chronic kidney disease susceptibility. The objective of this study is to determine whether the genetic variants in TLR4 are associated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), a measure of renal function. METHODS: To evaluate the association between TLR4 variants and eGFR, we used data obtained from 434 Mexican American participants from the San Antonio Family Diabetes/Gallbladder Study. GFR was estimated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula. The Asp(299)Gly (rs4986790) and Thr(399)Ile (rs4986791) variants of TLR4 were genotyped using the TaqMan assay. Association analyses between genotypes and eGFR were performed using the measured genotype approach. RESULTS: Of the two genetic markers examined for association, only the Asp(299)Gly variant of TLR4 exhibited a nominally significant association with eGFR (p = 0.025) after accounting for the covariate effects of age and sex terms, diabetes, duration of diabetes, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, and antihypertensive treatment. Carriers of Gly299 had significantly decreased eGFR values. Although, the Thr(399)Ile variant failed to exhibit a statistically significant association with eGFR, the carriers of Ile399, however, showed a trend towards decrease in eGFR. CONCLUSION: We show for the first time that Asp(299)Gly variants of TLR4 are associated with decrease in renal function in Mexican Americans.

Evaluation of neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase 2 (NTRK2) as a positional candidate gene for variation in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in Mexican American participants of San Antonio Family Heart study.

BACKGROUND: The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is a well-known measure of kidney function and is commonly used for the diagnosis and management of patients with chronic kidney disease. The inter-individual variation in eGFR has significant genetic component. However, the identification of underlying genetic susceptibility variants has been challenging. In an attempt to identify and characterize susceptibility genetic variant(s) we previously identified the strongest evidence for linkage of eGFR occurring on chromosome 9q21 in the Mexican American participants of San Antonio Family Heart Study (SAFHS). The objective of the present study was to examine whether the common genetic variants in Neurotrophic Tyrosine Receptor Kinase 2 (NTRK2), a positional candidate gene on 9q21, contribute to variation in eGFR. RESULTS: Twelve tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the NTRK2 gene region were selected (r2 ≥ 0.80, minor allele frequency of ≥ 0.05) from the Hapmap database. SNPs were genotyped by TaqMan assay in the 848 Mexican American subjects participated in the SAFHS. Association analysis between the genotypes and eGFR (estimated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation) were performed by measured genotype approach as implemented in the program SOLAR. Of the 12 common genetic variants examined, the rs1036915 (located in 3'UTR) and rs1187274 (located in intron-14), present in perfect linkage disequilibrium, exhibited an association (P = 0.017) with eGFR after accounting for the effects of age, sex, diabetes, diabetes duration, systolic blood pressure and blood pressure medication. The carriers of minor allele of rs1036915 (G; 38%) had increased eGFR (104 ± 25 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) in comparison to the carriers of major allele A (98 ± 25 ml/min/1.73 m(2)). CONCLUSION: Together, our results suggest for the first time that the genetic variants in NTRK2 may regulate eGFR.

Association of a low-frequency variant in HNF1A with type 2 diabetes in a Latino population.

IMPORTANCE: Latino populations have one of the highest prevalences of type 2 diabetes worldwide. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between rare protein-coding genetic variants and prevalence of type 2 diabetes in a large Latino population and to explore potential molecular and physiological mechanisms for the observed relationships. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Whole-exome sequencing was performed on DNA samples from 3756 Mexican and US Latino individuals (1794 with type 2 diabetes and 1962 without diabetes) recruited from 1993 to 2013. One variant was further tested for allele frequency and association with type 2 diabetes in large multiethnic data sets of 14,276 participants and characterized in experimental assays. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES: Prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Secondary outcomes included age of onset, body mass index, and effect on protein function. RESULTS: A single rare missense variant (c.1522G>A [p.E508K]) was associated with type 2 diabetes prevalence (odds ratio [OR], 5.48; 95% CI, 2.83-10.61; P = 4.4 × 10(-7)) in hepatocyte nuclear factor 1-α (HNF1A), the gene responsible for maturity onset diabetes of the young type 3 (MODY3). This variant was observed in 0.36% of participants without type 2 diabetes and 2.1% of participants with it. In multiethnic replication data sets, the p.E508K variant was seen only in Latino patients (n = 1443 with type 2 diabetes and 1673 without it) and was associated with type 2 diabetes (OR, 4.16; 95% CI, 1.75-9.92; P = .0013). In experimental assays, HNF-1A protein encoding the p.E508K mutant demonstrated reduced transactivation activity of its target promoter compared with a wild-type protein. In our data, carriers and noncarriers of the p.E508K mutation with type 2 diabetes had no significant differences in compared clinical characteristics, including age at onset. The mean (SD) age for carriers was 45.3 years (11.2) vs 47.5 years (11.5) for noncarriers (P = .49) and the mean (SD) BMI for carriers was 28.2 (5.5) vs 29.3 (5.3) for noncarriers (P = .19). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Using whole-exome sequencing, we identified a single low-frequency variant in the MODY3-causing gene HNF1A that is associated with type 2 diabetes in Latino populations and may affect protein function. This finding may have implications for screening and therapeutic modification in this population, but additional studies are required.

Susceptibility gene search for nephropathy and related traits in Mexican-Americans.

The rising global epidemic of diabetic nephropathy (DN) will likely lead to increase in the prevalence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality posing a serious burden for public health care. Despite greater understanding of the etiology of diabetes and the development of novel treatment strategies to control blood glucose levels, the prevalence and incidence rate of DN is increasing especially in minority populations including Mexican-Americans. Mexican-Americans with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are three times more likely to develop microalbuminuria, and four times more likely to develop clinical proteinuria compared to non-Hispanic whites. Furthermore, Mexican-Americans have a sixfold increased risk of developing renal failure secondary to T2DM compared to Caucasians. Prevention and better treatment of DN should be a high priority for both health-care organizations and society at large. Pathogenesis of DN is multi-factorial. Familial clustering of DN-related traits in MAs show that DN and related traits are heritable and that genes play a susceptibility role. While, there has been some progress in identifying genes which when mutated influence an individual's risk, major gene(s) responsible for DN are yet to be identified. Knowledge of the genetic causes of DN is essential for elucidation of its mechanisms, and for adequate classification, prognosis, and treatment. Self-identification and collaboration among researchers with suitable genomic and clinical data for meta-analyses in Mexican-Americans is critical for progress in replicating/identifying DN risk genes in this population. This paper reviews the approaches and recent efforts made to identify genetic variants contributing to risk for DN and related phenotypes in the Mexican-American population.

Genome-wide association analysis confirms and extends the association of SLC2A9 with serum uric acid levels to Mexican Americans.

Increased serum uric acid (SUA) is a risk factor for gout and renal and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The purpose of this study was to identify genetic factors that affect the variation in SUA in 632 Mexican Americans participants of the San Antonio Family Heart Study (SAFHS). A genome-wide association (GWA) analysis was performed using the Illumina Human Hap 550K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray. We used a linear regression-based association test under an additive model of allelic effect, while accounting for non-independence among family members via a kinship variance component. All analyses were performed in the software package SOLAR. SNPs rs6832439, rs13131257, and rs737267 in solute carrier protein 2 family, member 9 (SLC2A9) were associated with SUA at genome-wide significance (p < 1.3 × 10(-7)). The minor alleles of these SNPs had frequencies of 36.2, 36.2, and 38.2%, respectively, and were associated with decreasing SUA levels. All of these SNPs were located in introns 3-7 of SLC2A9, the location of the previously reported associations in European populations. When analyzed for association with cardiovascular-renal disease risk factors, conditional on SLC2A9 SNPs strongly associated with SUA, significant associations were found for SLC2A9 SNPs with BMI, body weight, and waist circumference (p < 1.4 × 10(-3)) and suggestive associations with albumin-creatinine ratio and total antioxidant status (TAS). The SLC2A9 gene encodes an urate transporter that has considerable influence on variation in SUA. In addition to the primary association locus, suggestive evidence (p < 1.9 × 10(-6)) for joint linkage/association (JLA) was found at a previously-reported urate quantitative trait locus (Logarithm of odds score = 3.6) on 3p26.3. In summary, our GWAS extends and confirms the association of SLC2A9 with SUA for the first time in a Mexican American cohort and also shows for the first time its association with cardiovascular-renal disease risk factors.

Diabetic nephropathy among Mexican Americans.

The incidence of diabetic nephropathy (DN) is growing rapidly worldwide as a consequence of the rising prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Among U.S. ethnic groups, Mexican Americans have a disproportionately high incidence and prevalence of DN and associated end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In communities bordering Mexico, as many as 90% of Mexican American patients with ESRD also suffer from T2DM compared to only 50% of non-Hispanic Whites (NHW). Both socio-economic factors and genetic predisposition appear to have a strong influence on this association. In addition, certain pathogenetic and clinical features of T2DM and DN are different in Mexican Americans compared to NHW, raising questions as to whether the diagnostic and treatment strategies that are standard practice in the NHW patient population may not be applicable in Mexican Americans. This article reviews the epidemiology of DN in Mexican Americans, describes the pathophysiology and associated risk factors, and identifies gaps in our knowledge and understanding that needs to be addressed by future investigations.

Genetic variants in transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily M 1 (TRPM1) and their risk of albuminuria-related traits in Mexican Americans.

BACKGROUND: Evidence for linkage of albuminuria to GABRB3 marker region on chromosome 15q12 was previously reported in Mexican Americans. The objective of this study is to scan a positional candidate gene, Transient Receptor Potential cation channel, subfamily M 1 (TRPM1), for genetic variants that may contribute to the variation in albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR). METHODS: To identify the sequence variants, the exons and 2 kb putative promoter region of TRPM1 were PCR amplified and sequenced in 32 selected individuals. Identified variants were genotyped in the entire data set (N=670; 39 large families) by TaqMan assays. Association analyses between the sequence variants and ACR, type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and related phenotypes were carried out using a measured genotype approach as implemented in the program SOLAR. RESULTS: Sequencing analysis identified 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) including 8 SNPs in the coding regions, 7 SNPs in the promoter region and 3 SNPs in introns. Of the 8 SNPs identified in the coding regions, 3 were non synonymous [Met(1)Thr, Ser(32)Asn, Val(1395)Ile] and one SNP caused stop codon (Glu1375/*). Of the SNPs examined, none of them exhibited statistically significant association with ACR after accounting for the effect of age, sex, diabetes, duration of diabetes, systolic blood pressure and anti-hypertensive medications. However, a SNP (rs11070811) located in the putative promoter region showed a modest association with triglycerides levels (P=0.039). CONCLUSION: The present investigation found no evidence for an association between sequence variation at the TRPM1 gene and ACR in Mexican Americans, although it appears to have modest influence on T2DM risk factors.

The Ser(326)Cys polymorphism of 8-oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (OGG1) is associated with type 2 diabetes in Mexican Americans.

OBJECTIVE: Human 8-oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (OGG1) excises oxidatively damaged promutagenic base 8-oxoguanine, a lesion previously observed in a rat model of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The objective of the present study is to determine whether genetic variation in OGG1 is associated with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in a Mexican American cohort. METHODS: Ten SNPs including two tagging SNPs (rs1052133, rs2072668) across the OGG1 gene region were selected from the Hapmap database and genotyped in the entire cohort (n = 670; 29% diabetes; 39 families) by TaqMan assay. Association analyses between the SNPs and T2DM were performed using the measured genotype approach as implemented in the program SOLAR. RESULTS: Of the ten SNPs genotyped, only five were polymorphic. The minor allele frequencies of these 5 SNPs ranged from 1-38%. Of the SNPs examined for association, the Ser(326)Cys (rs1052133) exhibited significant association with T2DM (p = 0.016) after accounting for age and sex effects. Another intronic variant (rs2072668), which was in strong linkage disequilibrium (r(2) = 0.96) with Ser(326)Cys also exhibited significant association with T2DM (p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest for the first time that the variants in OGG1 could influence diabetes risk in these Mexican American families and support a role for alterations of OGG1 in the pathogenesis of T2DM.

Examination of association with candidate genes for diabetic nephropathy in a Mexican American population.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a multifactorial complication characterized by persistent proteinuria in susceptible individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Disease burden in people of Mexican-American descent is particularly high, but there are only a few studies that characterize genes for DN in this ethnic group. Two genes, carnosine dipeptidase 1 (CNDP1) and engulfment and cell motility 1 (ELMO1) previously showed association with DN in other ethnic groups. CNDP1 and ELMO1 were examined along with eight other genes that are less well characterized for DN in a new study of Mexican-Americans. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: The target sample was patients of Mexican-American ancestry collected from three centers: 455 patients with DN and 437 controls with long-term diabetes but no incident nephropathy. Forty-two, 227, and 401 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CNDP1, ELMO1, and the other eight genes, respectively, were examined. RESULTS: No region in CNDP1 or ELMO1 showed significant P values. Of the other eight candidate genes, an association of DN with a SNP pair, rs2146098 and rs6659783, was found in hemicentin 1 (HMCN1) (unadjusted P = 6.1 x 10(-5)). Association with a rare haplotype in this region was subsequently identified. CONCLUSIONS: The associations in CNDP1 or ELMO1 were not replicable; however, an association of DN with HMCN1 was found. Additional work at this and other loci will enable refinement of the genetic hypotheses regarding DN in the Mexican-American population to find therapies for this debilitating disease.

Evaluation of gremlin 1 (GREM1) as a candidate susceptibility gene for albuminuria-related traits in Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Several novel genes that are up-regulated in the kidney in diabetes have been identified including GREM1, which encodes gremlin 1. GREM1 maps to human chromosome 15q12, a region previously found to be linked to albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) in Mexican Americans. The objective of this study is to investigate whether genetic variants in GREM1, a positional candidate gene, contribute to variation in ACR. By sequencing 32 individuals for both exons and 2-kilobase putative promoter region of GREM1, we identified 19 genetic variants including 5 in the promoter region and 13 in the 3' untranslated region. Of 19 polymorphisms identified, 13 polymorphisms were genotyped in the entire cohort (N = 670, 39 large families) either by restriction fragment length polymorphism or by TaqMan (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) assays. Association analyses between the genotypes and ACR, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and related phenotypes were carried out using a measured genotype approach as implemented in the variance component analytical tools (SOLAR). Of the variants examined for association, none exhibited statistically significant association with ACR after accounting for the effects of covariates such as age, sex, diabetes, duration of diabetes, systolic blood pressure, and antihypertensive medications. However, 2 novel variants at the 3' untranslated region showed significant association with estimated glomerular filtration rate (P = .010 and P = .049) and body mass index (P = .013 and P = .019) after accounting for trait-specific covariate influences. Furthermore, a novel variant located in the promoter exhibited a significant association with systolic (P = .038) and diastolic blood pressure (P = .005) after adjusting for the effects of age, sex, diabetes, and antihypertensive medications. In conclusion, the variants examined at GREM1 are not significant contributors to variation in ACR in Mexican Americans, although they appear to minimally influence risk factors related to ACR.

Evaluation of polymorphisms in paraoxonase 2 (PON2) gene and their association with cardiovascular-renal disease risk in Mexican Americans.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Genetic polymorphisms in the paraoxonase 2 (PON2) gene are thought to alter its activity and contribute to the development of cardiovascular and renal disease risk. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the Arg148Gly, Cys311Ser and rs12794795 polymorphisms of PON2 examined previously by others, are associated with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and subclinical measures of cardiovascular and renal disease risk in Mexican Americans. METHODS: Study participants (n = 848; 21 families) were genotyped for the three polymorphisms by TaqMan assay. Association between the genotypic and phenotypic data was performed by measured genotype approach as implemented in the variance component analytical tools. RESULTS: The Arg148Gly variant was found to be monomorphic in our dataset. Of the phenotypes examined for association, the A/C variant located in intron-1 (rs12794795) exhibited statistically significant association only with diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.018) after accounting for the trait-specific covariate effects. The Cys311Ser variant failed to show statistically significant association with any of the phenotypes examined. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the variants examined at the PON2 locus in Mexican Americans do not appear to be a major contributor to T2DM, cardiovascular or renal disease risk, although they exhibited a small effect on the blood pressure values.

The 27-bp repeat polymorphism in intron 4 (27 bp-VNTR) of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene is associated with albumin to creatinine ratio in Mexican Americans.

The T-786C, Glu298Asp, and 27 bp variable number of tandem repeats (27 bp-VNTR-a/b) polymorphsims of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene are thought to alter nitric oxide production and contribute to the development of vascular and renal disease risk. The objective of this study is to investigate whether these three polymorphisms examined previously by others are associated with cardiovascular and renal disease risk in Mexican Americans. Study participants (N = 848; 21 families) were genotyped for T-786C, Glu298Asp, and 27 bp-VNTR-a/b polymorphisms by PCR followed by restriction digestion. Association analyses were performed by a measured genotype approach implemented in the program SOLAR. Of the phenotypes (type 2 diabetes, hypertension, body mass index, waist circumference, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR), and estimated glomerular filtration rate) examined for association, the 27 bp-VNTR-a/b variant exhibited statistically significant association with ACR (P = 0.047) after accounting for the trait specific covariate effects. In addition, the promoter variant (T-786C) showed a significant association with triglycerides (P = 0.034) after accounting for covariate influences. In conclusion, the present study adds evidence to the role of eNOS candidate gene polymorphisms in modulating the risk factors related to cardiovascular-renal disease in Mexican Americans although the magnitude of the genetic effect is small.

Genetics of variation in serum uric acid and cardiovascular risk factors in Mexican Americans.

BACKGROUND: Elevated serum uric acid is associated with several cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as hypertension, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and obesity. However, the role of uric acid as an independent risk factor for CVD is not yet clear. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to localize quantitative trait loci regulating variation in serum uric acid and also establish the relationship between serum uric acid and other CVD risk factors in Mexican Americans (n = 848; men = 310, women = 538) participating in the San Antonio Family Heart Study. METHODS: Quantitative genetic analysis was conducted using variance components decomposition method, implemented in the software program SOLAR. RESULTS: Mean +/- SD of serum uric acid was 5.35 +/- 1.38 mg/dl. Univariate genetic analysis showed serum uric acid and other CVD risk markers to be significantly heritable (P < 0.005). Bivariate analysis showed significant correlation of serum uric acid with body mass index, waist circumference, waist/hip ratio, total body fat, plasma insulin, serum triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, C-reactive protein, and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (P < 0.05). A genome-wide scan for detecting quantitative trait loci regulating serum uric acid variation showed a significant logarithm of odds (LOD) score of 4.72 (empirical LOD score = 4.62; P < 0.00001) on chromosome 3p26. One LOD support interval contains 25 genes, of which an interesting candidate gene is chemokine receptor 2. SUMMARY: There is a significant genetic component in the variation in serum uric acid and evidence of pleiotropy between serum uric acid and other cardiovascular risk factors.

Genetic variants in the renin-angiotensin system genes are associated with cardiovascular-renal-related risk factors in Mexican Americans.

The aim of this study is to examine whether the ACE-I/D, AGT-M235T, and AT1R-A1166C polymorphisms of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) genes are associated with cardiovascular and renal-related risk factors in Mexican Americans. Study participants (N = 848) were genotyped by Taqman assays. Association analyses were performed by measured genotype approach. Of the phenotypes examined, the ACE-I/D, AGT-M235T, and AT1R-A1166C polymorphisms exhibited significant association with systolic blood pressure, glomerular filtration rate and body mass index, respectively. The data suggest that the polymorphisms examined in the RAS may modulate the risk factors associated with cardiovascular-renal disease.

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene polymorphisms and their association with type 2 diabetes-related traits in Mexican Americans.

Genetic variants of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene such as T-786C, Glu298Asp and 27bp-VNTR have been examined for their association with type 2 diabetes (T2DM)-related traits in various populations but not in Mexican Americans. However, the results from such studies have been controversial. This study investigated whether these three polymorphisms are associated with T2DM and its related traits in Mexican Americans, a population at high risk for T2DM and its complications. The study participants (n=670; 39 families) were genotyped for the three polymorphisms using polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Association analyses between these polymorphisms and T2DM and its related phenotypes were carried out using a measured genotype approach as implemented in the computer program SOLAR. Of the variants examined, only the 27bp-VNTR variant exhibited significant association with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p=0.04) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) levels (p=0.02) after accounting for trait-specific covariates. The carriers of the rare allele (27bp-VNTR-4a) were found to have decreased HDL-C and increased DBP levels. In conclusion, of the genetic polymorphisms examined at the eNOS locus, only 27bp-VNTR appears to be a minor contributor to the variation in T2DM-related traits in Mexican Americans.