The association of TCF7L2 gene polymorphisms, rs12255372 and rs7903146, with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Jordanian population.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is one of the biggest health concerns of our time. T2D prevalence is expected to reach 1.9 million Jordanians by 2050. Owing to this sharp increase, Jordanians should understand genetic risk factors for this disease. One of the strongest reported single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with T2D is located in the transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene, particularly rs12255372 and rs7903146. Despite this, contradictory results suggesting no association with T2D were found across ethnicities. Therefore, this study investigated the association of rs12255372 and rs7903146 with T2D in Jordanians.

Methods and results: For this case-control study, 301 non-diabetic healthy controls and 301 patients with T2D were genotyped for rs12255372 and rs7903146 using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). A significant development in T2D was demonstrated in rs12255372 and rs7903146. The risk allele for both single nucleotide polymorphisms is the T allele. The p-value ≤ 0.001 reflects a significant difference between the control group and the T2D group. Moreover, the combined effect of rs12255372 and rs7903146 showed statistical significance with a p-value ≤ 0.001.

Conclusion: Our study suggests that TCF7L2 gene polymorphisms (rs12255372 and rs7903146) are predisposing risk factors for T2D in the Jordanian population.