Sequence Variant Analysis of the APOCII Locus among an Arab Cohort.

Apolipoprotein CII (ApocII) plays a key role in regulating lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in lipid metabolism and transport. Numerous polymorphisms within APOCII are reportedly associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), dyslipidemia, and aberrant plasma lipid levels. Few studies have investigated sequence variants at APOCII loci and their association with metabolic disorders. This study aimed to identify and characterize genetic variants by sequencing the full APOCII locus and its flanking sequences in a sample of the Kuwaiti Arab population, including patients with T2DM, hypertriglyceridemia, non-Arab patients with T2DM, and healthy Arab controls. A total of 52 variants were identified in the noncoding sequences: 45 single nucleotide polymorphisms, wherein five were novel, and seven insertion deletions. The minor allele frequency (MAF) of the 47 previously reported variants was similar to the global MAF and to that reported in major populations. Sequence variant analysis predicted a conserved role for APOCII with a potential role for rs5120 in T2DM and rs7133873 as an informative ethnicity marker. This study adds to the ongoing research that attempts to identify ethnicity-specific variants in the apolipoprotein gene loci and associated LPL genes to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of metabolic disorders.

Association Study of IGF-1 rs35767 and rs6214 Gene Polymorphisms with Cancer Susceptibility and Circulating Levels of IGF-1, IGFBP-2, and IGFBP-3 in Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) increases the 5-year survival rate by 90%; therefore, non-invasive biomarkers such as measurable circulating proteins for early detection and prognosis are crucial. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is involved in the regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis. IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) bind and inhibit the activity of IGF-1. It was inconsistently reported that high IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 and low IGFBP-3 circulating levels are associated with high cancer risk, poor prognosis, and tumor metastasis in several cancers. A total of 175 patients with CRC and 429 controls were enrolled in this study. We genotyped for IGF-1 rs35767 and rs6214 gene polymorphisms and assessed their association with circulating levels of IGF-1 and/or the risk for CRC. We also determined plasma levels of IGF-1, IGFBP-2, and IGFBP-3. Neither rs35767 nor rs2614 were associated with cancer risk or IGF-1 levels in our study cohort. IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels were higher in controls than in patients, whereas IGFBP-2 was higher in patients than in controls. Only IGFBP-2 was associated with increased tumor grade but not stage. Therefore, IGF-1, IGFBP-2, and IGFBP-3 may be useful as early detection and prognostic biomarkers in CRC.

Association analysis of genetic variants in the ghrelin and tumor necrosis factor α genes and the risk for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Kuwaitis.

BACKGROUND: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is the most common hematological malignancy in the world. Many etiologic factors have been implicated in the risk of developing NHL, including genetic susceptibility and obesity. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Ghrelin (GHRL), an anti-inflammatory hormone, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), an inflammatory cytokine, have been independently associated with the risk for obesity and NHL. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between SNPs in GHRL and TNF-α and the risk for NHL and obesity in Kuwaitis. METHODS: We recruited 154 Kuwaiti NHL patients and 217 controls. Genotyping was performed for rs1629816 (GHRL promoter region), rs35684 (GHRL 3' untranslated region), and rs1800629 (TNF-α promoter region). Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association of the investigated SNPs with NHL and the relationship between the selected SNPs with BMI in each group separately. RESULTS: We show that rs1629816 GG was associated with an increased risk for NHL in our sample (p= 0.0003, OR 1.82; CI: 1.31-2.54). None of the investigated SNPs were associated with obesity, nor was obesity found to be associated with the risk for NHL. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates an association between rs1629816, a SNP in the GHRL regulatory region, and NHL in Kuwaitis.

Association of Genetic Polymorphisms in the VKORC1 and CYP2C9 Genes with Warfarin Dosage in a Group of Kuwaiti Individuals.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Warfarin is the most widely prescribed oral anticoagulant worldwide. The narrow therapeutic index and the large variation in the inter-individual dose of warfarin are problematic, since the side effects can be lethal. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in CYP2C9 and VKORC1 have been shown to significantly affect warfarin dosage toleration and this effect varies among different populations. We aimed to investigate the effect of these SNPs on warfarin dosage in a sample of Kuwaiti patients. METHODS: Kuwaiti patients who were taking a maintenance dose of warfarin were genotyped for CYP2C9*1, *2 and *3 and VKORC1 rs9923231, rs9934438, rs7294 and rs2884737. The association of these SNPs with the warfarin dose was evaluated. RESULTS: For CYP2C9, the CYP2C9 *1/*1 genotype required a higher dose (5.5 ± 3.3 mg/day) compared to non-*1/*1 (3.3 ± 1.7 mg/day) (p = 0.003). For VKORC1, the daily warfarin dose was significantly different (p = 0.001) among the three genotypes of rs9923231, rs9934438 and rs2884737, with carriers of the wild-type genotype requiring the highest dose compared to variant allele carriers (p ≤ 0.001-0.002). There was no association found between the daily warfarin dose and the rs7294 polymorphism. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that individuals carrying the wild-type allele of CYP2C9 or VKORC1 rs9923231, rs9934438 or rs2884737 are less sensitive than individuals with the variant alleles of these SNPs and therefore required a higher daily maintenance dose of warfarin. Our study confirms the association between SNPs in CYP2C9 and VKORC1 and warfarin dose tolerance in Kuwaiti patients.