Effects of the PPARG gene polymorphisms on markers of obesity and the metabolic syndrome in Bosnian subjects

Background: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a key transcription factor in adipogenesis, and also regulates a number of genes associated with lipid storage and insulin sensitivity. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PPARG gene have been associated with obesity and diabetes. In this study, we explored the relationship of three PPARG gene variants with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and related traits in a population from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mathods: Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured in 43 patients with MetS and 43 healthy controls. Subjects were genotyped for Pro12Ala (rs1801282) and 1431C>T (rs3856806) SNPs by classic PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, and for -681C>G (rs10865710) variant by real-time PCR. Results: The genotype distributions for the three polymorphisms were not significantly different between MetS patients and controls. The Pro12Ala and 1431C>T variants were associated with lower body mass index in the control subjects (p=0.012 and p=0.049, respectively). In this group, the carriers of Pro12Ala had also lower waist circumference compared to the wild-type homozygotes (p=0.045). Conclusions: Results of our preliminary study indicate a beneficial effect of a common Pro12Ala variant on the metabolic phenotype in healthy non-obese subjects.