DNA polymorphism of Pvu II site in the lipoprotein lipase gene in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

We studied the effect of variation at the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene locus on the susceptibility of individuals with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in a population of 110 NIDDM patients and 91 controls. Our objective was to study the relationship between the LPL-Pvu II polymorphism and NIDDM and lipid metabolism. PCR-RFLP was used to determine the DNA polymorphism of the sixth intron of the LPL gene. The frequencies of the genotypes in case and control groups were 29.1 and 30.8% for P+/P+; 45.5 and 36.3% for P+/P-; 25.5 and 33% for P-/P- respectively. There was no significant difference in frequencies of genotypes between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis revealed that triacylglycerol (TAG) and apolipoprotein E levels were associated with NIDDM, whereas Pvu II genotypes were not found as independent risk factors for the disease. Overall this study demonstrates the role of the Pvu II polymorphism in the LPL gene in modulating plasma lipid/lipoprotein levels in patients with NIDDM.