Variations in the vitamin D-binding protein (Gc locus) and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in French Caucasians.

Electrophoretic variants of the vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) have been reported to be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) or with prediabetic phenotypes in several non-Caucasian populations. Two frequent missense polymorphisms at codons 416 (Asp --> Glu) and 420 (Thr --> Lys) are the genetic basis for the 3 common electrophoretic variants of DBP (Gc1F, Gc1S, and Gc2) and the resulting circulating phenotypes (Gc1F/Gc1F, Gc1F/Gc1S, Gc1S/Gc1S, Gc1F/Gc2, Gc1S/Gc2, and Gc2/Gc2). In this study, we investigated the association of these polymorphisms with type 2 DM in French Caucasian subjects. Variations at codons 416 and 420 were examined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Allele frequencies at both codons did not differ in type 2 DM patients and in control subjects (Asp416: 42.4% v 46.2%, respectively, P =.33; Lys420: 25.5% v 29.0%, respectively, P =.31). Distribution of genotypes at both codons, of the haplotypes defined by the 2 codons, and of the DBP phenotypes defined by the haplotypes were also similar in diabetic and control subjects. In conclusion, our study suggests that genetic variants of the DBP gene are not associated with the susceptibility to type 2 DM in French Caucasians. Copyright 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company