Association of Polymorphisms in Stress-Related TNFα and NPY Genes with the Metabolic Syndrome in Han and Hui Ethnic Groups

Abstract

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of complicated disorders caused by the interactive influencing factors of heredity and environment, which predisposes to many cnacers. Results from epidemic research indicate that stress is tightly related to the pathogenesis of MS and neoplasia. This paper aims to investigate the association between psychological stress and MS with respect to the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) genes in the Han and Hui ethnic groups. Methods: All subjects for this casecontrol study matched strict enrollment criteria (nationality, gender and age) and lived in the city of Wu Zhong of Ningxia Province in China. The enrolled group contained 102 matched pairs of Hui ethnic individuals and 98 matched pairs of Han ethnic individuals. Enrolled subjects completed the general Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). The TNFα-308G/A variant and NPYrs16147 polymorphism were detected in case (81 males, 119 females) and control (81 males, 119 females) groups by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. Results: Nine factors of the SCL-90 were found to be statistically different (p<0.05) between case and control groups. The homozygous mutant genotype (AA) and the mutant allele (A) of the TNFα-308G/A gene were less frequently observed in the control population compared to the case group. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) in "Allele" for MS was 2.28 (1.47-3.53), p=0.0001, while "OR" was 1.11 (0.83-1.47), p=0.15, for the NPYrs16147 gene polymorphism. Conclusions: Psychological stress has been positively associated with MS. A previous study from our group suggested there were differences in the level of psychological stress between Hui and Han ethnic groups. Furthermore, we found that the stress-related TNFα gene was associated with MS for both Han and Hui ethnic groups. In contrast, NPY may be a possible contributor to MS and associated cancer for the Han ethnic group.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha -308 promoter polymorphism and insulin resistance inoverweight and obese adolescent

“…A total of 104 adolescents with overweight and obesity (46 girls, 58 boys) were included in the study. The mean age was 16.01 ± 2.91 (16)(17)(18) years, mean weight of 52.98± 2.2 kg, and mean BMI 23.31±6.83 kg/m 2 ( Table 1).…”

“…Different studies have evaluated the TNF-α gene -308G/A polymorphism relationship to IR and lipid abnormalities in obese children suggesting that the -308G/A variation in this gene does not seem to play an important role in the setting down of obesity and IR. 17,18 However, an Australian study, in obese non-diabetic subjects, investigated whether a common polymorphism in the promoter region ((-308 G/A) of the TNF-α gene was associated with increased risk for the development of IR. The study showed that the polymorphism was associated with increased IR in obese subjects, possibly as a result of increased TNF-α production.…”

“…The HOMA-IR, whereby an increase in value signifies an increase in IR, was calculated using the equation: HOMA-IR=Fasting insulin (µU/mL) x Fasting glucose (mg/dL)/405. 17,18 HOMA-IR higher than 3.16 was considered as insulin resistant. 12,13…”

Comparison of Genetic Variants in Cancer-Related Genes between Chinese Hui and Han Populations

“…The Chinese Hui ethnic group descended from Arab and Persian Muslim immigrants who came to China and married local girls hundreds or even thousands of years ago [ 28 ]. However, Hui people adhere to Islamic principles [ 29 ]. To retain religious purity and group identity, most Hui people have always isolated themselves socially from other people in enclaves.…”

“…Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have emerged as genetic markers of choice because of their high density and relatively even distribution across the human genome, and SNPs have been used for fine mapping of disease loci and for candidate gene association studies [ 9 ]. Several investigations have recently shown that differences existed in psychological stress susceptibility, cancer susceptibility and cancer prognosis between Chinese Hui and Chinese Han [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. However, there are still a lot of works needed to be done to ultimately unveil the genetic differences between these two groups of people.…”