Abstract
The high-affinity sulfonylurea receptor (SUR1) gene regulates insulin secretion and may play a role in type 2 diabetes. A silent variant in exon 31 of SUR1 (AGG→AGA) was detected by single-strand conformational polymorphism and genotypes were determined for 396 Mexican American subjects (289 non-diabetic). The normal and mutant alleles were designated G and A, respectively. Among non-diabetics, those with the AA genotype had higher fasting insulin values than those with the AG and GG genotypes (113.4 pmol/l for AA vs 82.8 pmol/l for AG/GG, P=0.043). Similar results were observed for 2-h insulin (849.6 pmοl/l for AA vs 498.6 pmol/l for AG/GG, P=0.0003) and for the proinsulin to specific insulin ratio (0.068 for AA vs 0.056 for AG/GG, P=0.030). Specific insulin levels also differed significantly across the three genotypic classes (P=0.021). No differences in fasting glucose, body mass index, or waist circumference according to genotype were noted. Two-hour glucose was modestly higher in individuals with the AA genotype. Since we have previously reported linkage between SUR1 and hyperglycemia, the present association between a SUR1 variant and hyperinsulinemia in normal individuals from a high diabetes risk ethnic group raises the possibility of primary insulin hypersecretion as an antecedent of type 2 diabetes in at least some individuals from this population.
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Received: 3 April 1998 / Accepted: 5 June 1998
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Goksel, D., Fischbach, K., Duggirala, R. et al. Variant in sulfonylurea receptor-1 gene is associated with high insulin concentrations in non-diabetic Mexican Americans: SUR-1 gene variant and hyperinsulinemia. Hum Genet 103, 280–285 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004390050817
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004390050817