A 5-Year Follow-Up Study of 3 Polymorphisms in the Human Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene in Relation to Obesity, Hypertension, and Diabetes

Glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) are cytoplasmatic receptors regulating the expression of cortisol and bind to specific sites on chromatin. The glucocorticoid receptor gene (GRL) is located on chromosome 5q31 and encodes for either a 777-amino acid (GRα) or a 742-amino acid (GRβ) polypeptide. The objective of the current study was to examine the prospective association of 3 polymorphisms—a Tth111I restriction fragment in the promoter region, a BclI polymorphism in intron 2, and an A/G polymorphism in exon 2—of the GRL gene on estimates of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes in 163 unrelated Swedish men born in 1944. These data showed a significant increase in body weight, body mass index, abdominal obesity, fasting glucose, insulin, and homeostasis model assessment over the 5-year follow-up among homozygotes for the rare BclI allele. In contrast, no significant associations with the Tth111I or A/G polymorphism were detected. It is concluded that the genetic information about GRL would be useful for further genetic study of obesity, diabetes, and related metabolic diseases.