KCNQ1 common genetic variant and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a multifactorial trait that both environmental and genetic factors contribute to its pathogenesis. The most common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 1 (KCNQ1) gene, rs2237892, is highly associated with the risk of T2DM. The aim of the present study was to examine any association between KCNQ1 gene rs2237892 variant and risk of T2DM in a group of Iranian patients. Methods Genotyping was carried out in 100 type 2 diabetic patients and 100 non-diabetic subjects using the Sanger sequencing method. Results The CC genotype caused more than 30% reduction in the risk of T2DM in compared with CT. Nonetheless, this association was not statistically significant and this variant had no protective effect for T2DM. A significant difference was not found in genotypes (CC, CT, and TT) and alleles (C and T) frequency of KCNQ1 rs2237892 SNP between T2DM and control groups (P = 0.475 and P = 0.470, respectively). Conclusions Our investigations did not show enough evidence for the presence of an association between KCNQ1 gene rs2237892 polymorphism and risk of T2DM among a group of Iranian patients.