Polymorphism in Metallothionein 1A Gene in Nepalese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Polymorphism in metallothionein (MT) 1A gene (rs8052394) has been found to be associated with diabetes mellitus and its complications. We conducted the present study to find prevalence of polymorphism in MT1A gene (rs8052394) in Nepalese type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Method: A study was carried out among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients (n = 82: 44 males and 38 females, 54.7 ± 11.7 years) selected from Samjhana Laboratory Clinic, Lalitpur, in Kathmandu, Nepal to investigate single nucleotide polymorphism in MT1 A gene (rs8052394) in Nepalese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Demographic parameters were noted and blood samples were collected, and polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis was performed to detect rs8052394 polymorphism. Results: The mean age of study patients was 54.7 ± 11.7 years. Mean fasting blood glucose and HbA1c were 168.7 ± 42.4 mg/dL and 7.4 ± 2.1% respectively. AA, AG and GG genotype of MTA1 gene rs8052394 was observed in 60.9% (n=50), 35.3% (n=29) and 3.6% (n=3) patients respectively. Allele frequency of A and G allele was 0.786 and 0.213 respectively. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that polymorphism in metallothionein 1A gene (rs8052394) is common in Nepalese Type 2 diabetes patients.