The contributions of resistin and adiponectin gene single nucleotide polymorphisms to the genetic risk for polycystic ovary syndrome in a Japanese population.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous group of disorders that occur fairly commonly in women of reproductive age and are characterized by a variety of clinical manifestations, including insulin resistance that is independent of obesity. Recent studies suggest that altered adipocytokine gene expression is closely associated with insulin resistance and that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) modulate the expression and/or function of these genes, thereby affecting insulin sensitivity. With that in mind, we investigated whether SNPs at position -420 of the resistin gene (RETN) and/or -11377 of the adiponectin gene (ADIPOQ) modulate the susceptibility to PCOS. We evaluated the genotypes of 117 women with PCOS and 380 healthy fertile controls and measured the index of insulin resistance and hormonal profiles in the PCOS women. The RETN-420G/G homozygous variant genotype occurred significantly more frequently among the PCOS group than among the control group (15.4% vs. 8.4%, p = 0.035). PCOS women with the RETN-420G/G genotype also showed significantly higher BMIs and greater insulin resistance than those with RETN-420 C/C or C/G genotypes. The ADIPOQ SNP at -11377 showed no association with PCOS. We conclude that the RETN G/G at -420 genotype is associated with PCOS in Japanese women.