Common Genetic Variants in the HNF1B Gene Contribute to Diabetes and Multiple Cancers

Diabetes and cancers are major public health problems in the United States and in the world. Epidemiological studies have clearly demonstrated the associations and co morbidity between Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) and multiple cancers such as endometrial and prostate cancers. However, the mechanism of such associations has not been elucidated. Genetic variation is proposed to contribute to these diseases, and common genetic variants may explain part of the associations among these diseases. Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) rs4430796 and rs7501939 within the HNF1B/TCF2 gene (Gene ID: 6928) have been observed to be associated with T2D and endometrial and prostate cancers in several studies (pleiotropic effects). Future work is needed to assess additional genetic loci sharing among these diseases. To better understand the genetic etiology of disease comorbidity it will be useful to combine the results of Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS), gene-gene and gene-environment interactions, with the recent rapid advances in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies.