Association of p53 codon 72 polymorphism with weight and metabolic diseases in a Central Indian population

Metabolic dysregulation leading to diabetes is a major public health concern in India. While evidence has pointed to a role for genetic factors, there is still limited knowledge regarding the specific variants that play a part in this process. Recent studies have implicated Tumor protein, p53, a well-known tumor suppressor, in maintaining metabolic homeostasis in our body. Polymorphisms that can disrupt this function are thought to increase susceptibility to diabetic and prediabetic phenotypes like Metabolic syndrome (MetS). A common polymorphism at codon 72 (rs1042522) is associated with obesity and other metabolic disorders. However, its role may vary depending on the specific population and disease context. Our study aimed to evaluate whether the polymorphism at codon 72 of p53 (rs1042522) is associated with MetS and Diabetes, in a Central Indian population. A total of 66 individuals and 63 healthy controls, identified based on the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)/Adult Treatment Panel-III (ATP-III) 2001 guidelines, were enrolled in the study. The carriers expressing mutant allele “G” for arginine at codon 72 had higher weight than those having wild-type allele “C” which codes for proline (p = 0.038). The majority of the subjects were heterozygous for p53 codon 72 polymorphism though the association was not statistically significant for either MetS or diabetes. Our findings suggest that p53 codon 72 (rs1042522) varaints may trigger metabolic dysfunction by impacting weight. The polymorphism appears to confer a heterozygous advantage, as individuals with a heterozygous genotype exhibited the highest susceptibility to metabolic disease. Although further studies are required, our results for the first time indicate that the p53 codon 72 (rs1042522) polymorphism could be considered a genetic marker to predict the increased susceptibility to diabetic and prediabetic phenotypes among Central Indian population.