Contemplating the role of genetic variants of HHEX, CDKAL1, WFS1 and SLC30A8 genes of TYPE-2 diabetes in Asians ethnic groups

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic disorder and caused by both environmental and genetic factors. GWAS have identified > 150 SNPs associated with T2D. In this review, susceptibility of different variants of T2D genes (HHEX, CDKAL1, WFS1 and SLC30A8) in different Asian populations is discussed. These genes play role in pancreatic beta-cell functioning, survival, insulin sensitivity and secretion. Ethnic difference in Asian and European populations leads to change in impact of gene on different populations. Hence, Asians are highly susceptible to variants of these type 2 diabetes genes than Europeans. We discuss the linkage of variants of these genes with type 2 diabetes risk among various subgroups of Asian population and compare the Asian groups with European groups.