Gene polymorphisms in patients with type 2 diabetes and diabetic nephropathy

A considerable variability in the incidence and prevalence of diabetic nephropathy (DN) coheres with an important contribution of multigenetic predisposition in the development of DN. Some genes, which probably participate in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, also play a role in the regulation of blood pressure, familial hyperlipidemia, familial hypertension and other diseases of the cardiovascular system. We have examined the association of diabetic nephropathy, nephropathy of non-diabetic origin, hypertension and of type 2 diabetes itself with several genetic polymorphisms (the insertion/deletion polymorphism in the gene for angiotensin-converting enzyme, the G/T polymorphism in the glucose transporter 1 gene, the G/T (894) polymorphism and the T/C (−786) polymorphism in the eNOS gene in three groups of patients with diabetes mellitus: 1) patients without diabetic nephropathy (DM); 2) patients with DN; 3) patients with nephropathy of non-diabetic origin (NDRD). Angiotensin-converting enzyme is an important factor in a development of arterial hypertension, but in our groups of Central European diabetic patients the I/D polymorphism was not associated with diabetic nephropathy. Furthermore, we have confirmed that the T/C (T786C) polymorphism in the eNOS gene is associated with metabolic syndrome including type 2 diabetes.