PPAR-gamma2 Gene and Type 2 Diabetes

PZ Myers of Pharyngula highlights a recent paper in Nature announcing the complete sequencing of the chimpanzee genome. He points out a finding on the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma 2 Pro12Ala gene variant (PPARG) that was studied by my colleagues and I a few years ago.

PZ writes:

As it turns out, some alleles we consider ‘bad’, or disease-related, are the wild-type forms. For example, a form of the gene called PPARG that has a proline at position 12 is associated with a greater risk of type 2 diabetes in humans, but is the most common allele in chimps. That suggests that the diabetes-resistant form of PPARG is the recent adaptation, and that we may be seeing the ongoing spread of this allele in our population.

My colleages and I at National Taiwan University Hospital published in the Journal of Molecular Medicine in 2001:

Our results suggest that within families siblings with the A variant in the PPARgamma2 gene may be more likely to have better glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity independent of obesity in Chinese and Japanese populations.

And in Metabolism in 2000:

…in the Taiwanese, the Pro12Ala PPARgamma2 gene variant may contribute to fat accumulation and a higher BMI independent of type 2 diabetes.

Other studies have had similar results. I think I’ll post more on the genetics of type 2 diabetes later this week. It’s been a while since I reviewed my original area of specialty.