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We previously identified a locus linked to total cholesterol (TC) concentration in Pima Indians on chromosome 19p. To characterize this locus, we genotyped > 2000 SNPs in 1838 Pimas and assessed association with log(TC). We observed evidence for association with log(TC) with rs2278426 (3.5% decrease/copy of the T allele; P = 5.045 × 10 − 6 ) in the ANGPTL8 (angiopoietin-like 8) gene. We replicated this association in 2413 participants of the San Antonio Mexican American Family Study (SAMAFS: 2.0% decrease per copy of the T allele; P = 0.005842). In a meta-analysis of the combined data, we found the strongest estimated effect with rs2278426 ( P = 2.563 × 10 − 7 ). The variant T allele at rs2278426 predicts an Arg59Trp substitution and has previously been associated with LDL-C and HDL-C. In Pimas and SAMAFS participants, the T allele of rs2278426 was associated with reduced HDL-C levels ( P = 0.000741 and 0.00002, respectively), and the combined estimated effect for the two cohorts was − 3.8% ( P = 8.526 × 10 − 8 ). ANGPTL8 transcript and protein levels increased in response to both glucose and insulin. The variant allele was associated with increased levels of cleaved ANGPTL3. We conclude that individuals with the variant allele may have lower TC and HDL-C levels due to increased activation of ANGPTL3 by ANGPTL8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Genetic variation in SIRT1 affects obesity-related phenotypes in several populations. The purpose of this study was to determine whether variation in SIRT1 affects susceptibility to obesity or type 2 diabetes in Pima Indians, a population with very high prevalence and incidence rates of these diseases. Genotypic data from single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified by sequencing regions of SIRT1 combined with SNPs in/near SIRT1 from a prior genome-wide association study determined that 4 tag SNPs (rs7895833, rs10509291, rs7896005, and rs4746720) could capture information across this gene and its adjacent 5′ region. The tag SNPs were genotyped in a population-based sample of 3501 Pima Indians (44% had diabetes, 58% female) for association with type 2 diabetes and BMI. Metabolic trait data and adipose biopsies were available on a subset of these subjects. Two tag SNPs, rs10509291 and rs7896005, were nominally associated with type 2 diabetes (P =0.01, OR=1.25 95%CI 1.05–1.48, and P =0.02, OR=1.17 95%CI 1.02–1.34, respectively; additive P values adjusted for age, sex, birth year, and family membership), but not BMI (adjusted P values 0.52 and 0.45, respectively). Among metabolically characterized subjects with normal glucose tolerance (N=243), those carrying the diabetes risk allele (T) for rs10509291 and (G) for rs7896005 had a reduced acute insulin response (AIR) to an intravenous glucose bolus (adjusted P =0.045 and 0.035, respectively). SIRT1 expression in adipose biopsies was negatively correlated with BMI (adjusted P =0.00001). We conclude that variation in SIRT1 is nominally associated with reduced AIR and increased risk for type 2 diabetes. SIRT1 expression in adipose is correlated with BMI, but it remains unknown whether this is a cause or consequence of obesity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Variants in the engulfment and cell motility 1 gene, ELMO1, have previously been associated with kidney disease attributed to type 2 diabetes. The Pima Indians of Arizona have high rates of diabetic nephropathy, which is strongly dependent on genetic determinants; thus, we sought to investigate the role of ELMO1 polymorphisms in mediating susceptibility to this disease in this population. Genotype distributions were compared among 141 individuals with nephropathy and 416 individuals without heavy proteinuria in a family study of 257 sibships, and 107 cases with diabetic ESRD and 108 controls with long duration diabetes and no nephropathy. We sequenced 17.4kb of ELMO1 and identified 19 variants. We genotyped 12 markers, excluding those in 100% genotypic concordance with other variants or with a minor allele frequency <0.05, plus 21 additional markers showing association with ESRD in earlier studies. In the family study, the strongest evidence for association was with rs1345365 (odds ratio [OR]=2.42 per copy of A allele [1.35–4.32]; P =0.001) and rs10951509 (OR=2.42 per copy of A allele [1.31–4.48]; P =0.002), both of which are located in intron 13 and are in strong pairwise linkage disequilibrium (r 2 =0.97). These associations were in the opposite direction from those observed in African Americans, which suggests that the relationship between diabetic kidney disease and ELMO1 variation may involve as yet undiscovered functional variants or complex interactions with other biological variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endosulfine α (ENSA) is an endogenous ligand of the sulfonylurea receptor 1 (SUR1) that can stimulate insulin secretion by pancreatic β cells. Originally, an intronless gene coding for this protein was assigned to Chr. 14q, but more recent information available in public databases indicated the position of ENSA on 1q21. We show here that the 1q21 locus represents the expressed gene consisting of 6 exons, whereas the locus on Chr. 14q is apparently a pseudogene. The ENSA gene on 1q21 produces several alternatively spliced transcripts, and is located within a region linked with T2DM in diverse populations including the Pima Indians. We analyzed ENSA in this Native American population and identified seven variants, which fall into three linkage disequilibrium groups. Analysis of representative markers in over 1200 Pima Indians did not reveal any significant association with T2DM, or with differences in insulin action and insulin secretion in a subset of approximately 270 non-diabetic subjects. In addition, we did not detect any significant correlation of skeletal muscle ENSA transcript levels with differences in insulin action in 49 non-diabetic subjects. We conclude that sequence alterations in ENSA are an unlikely cause for the linkage of T2DM with 1q21–q23 in the Pima Indians. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Several diseases including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are associated with abnormal O-glycosylation of proteins. β-O-linked N-acetylglucosaminidase (O-GlcNAcase) encoded by MGEA5 on 10g24.1–q24.3 removes N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc), and we investigated this locus in Pima Indians who have the world’s highest prevalence of T2DM. We detected two variants but there was no association with parameters of insulin resistance or diabetes in ∼1300 Pimas. We conclude that mutations in MGEA5 are unlikely to contribute to T2DM in this population. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Uncoupling protein 5 (UCP5) or brain mitochondrial carrier protein-1 (BMCP1) enhances mitochondrial proton leak in vitro and its hepatic and brain expression profiles are modulated by diet and cold exposure in mice. Alternative splicing generates three isoforms: a long form (UCP5L), a short form (UCP5S), and a short form with a 31 amino acid insert (UCP5SI). We investigated the relationship between skeletal muscle UCP5 expression and in vivo energy metabolism in 36 non-diabetic Pima Indians. We determined the expression levels of total UCP5 (UCP5T), and the isoforms UCP5L, UCP5S, and UCP5SI (66.8, 32.5, and 0.8% of UCP5T, respectively). None correlated with body weight or percent body fat. The transcript level of UCP5SI, but not the others, was positively correlated with resting metabolic rate (r=0.38, P=0.02, adjusted for age, sex, fat mass, and fat-free mass) and lipid oxidation rate (adjusted for age, sex, and percent body fat) during a euglycemic clamp with infusion of insulin at a physiologic concentration (r=0.42, P=0.01). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]