The association between single nucleotide polymorphisms of the Apelin gene and diabetes mellitus in a Chinese population

Background: The objective of the study was to analyze the association of apelin gene (APLN) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A total of 1966 subjects were enrolled in this study, including 168 cases (first batch), 330 cases (second batch), and 1468 nondiabetic controls. The SNPs in the HapMap-HCB of APLN were detected using Sequenom MassARRAY SNP technology and included rs2281068, rs3115757, rs2235309, and rs2235310. The related clinical characteristics with glucose metabolism were tested, including the fasting blood glucose (FPG), insulin (INS), C-peptide,-glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC),-triglycerides (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Results: A correlation between rs3115757 and rs2281068 and diabetes was observed in first batch. Thus, we compared the SNPs (rs3115757 and rs2281068) between the cases and controls after more cases were enrolled. In addition, the results showed a significant correlation between APLN rs2281068 and diabetes (p < 0.05). However, age, BMI, WC, blood pressure, and serum markers in T2DM had no relationship with APLN rs2281068. Conclusions: The SNP rs2281068 in APLN is significantly related to diabetes mellitus in a Chinese population.