El polimorfismo (CAG)n del gen ATXN2, nuevo marcador de susceptibilidad para diabetes mellitus tipo 2.

Objective. Estimate whether there is an association between the (CAG)n repeat in the ATXN2 gene in the Mexican population and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods. Epidemiological case-control study, including healthy people and diabetics. (CAG)n expansion was detected by end-point polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR outputs were analyzed by electrophoresis (PAGE 8%) and silver nitrate staining. Results. (CAG)n nucleotide allele distribution in the study population was similar to that reported in central Mexico. The 22-repeat allele is the most frequent; however, there is an association with carriers of long repeats in the normal range with diabetes. Conclusions. The results suggest that the (CAG)n repeat of the ATXN2 gene could be a causal factor for type 2 DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]