BoneKEy Reports | BoneKEy Watch
ITGA1 gene locus may shed light on osteoporosis–type 2 diabetes link
DOI:10.1038/bonekey.2012.248
This study sought genetic determinants that may be common to type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis by investigating single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with bone mineral density (BMD), as identified by genome-wide association study meta-analyses.
The 539 SNPs identified, plus an additional 1318 SNPs in 9 candidate genes associated with BMD in the Genetics Factors for Osteoporosis Consortium, were then tested in two cohorts. The Diabetes Genetics Replication and Meta-analysis cohort was used to discover any association with type 2 diabetes while the Meta-Analyses of Glucose and Insulin-Related Traits Consortium (MAGIC) was used to check for any link with one of seven glycaemic traits.
SNP rs6867040, within the ITGA1 locus, a known BMD candidate gene, correlated with an increase in fasting glucose. Variants in ITGA1 were also among the top 10 SNPs associated with fasting insulin, type 2 diabetes, β-cell function and insulin and glucose levels at the 2-hour point in an oral glucose tolerance test.
This ties in well with previous studies that have revealed a role for ITGA1 in bone healing, insulin secretion and liver fibrosis, but further investigations are now required in even larger cohorts such as Metabo-Chip, which comprises more than 200,000 SNPs related to type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Editor’s comment: The identification of a gene variant associated with both BMD and glycemic traits in large cohorts provides a first step towards elucidating common genetic determinants that may underlie the increased susceptibility to osteoporosis-related fractures in patients with type 2 diabetes.
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