Population Diversity of Three Variants of the SLC47A2 Gene (MATE2-K transporter) in Mexican Mestizos and Native Americans

MATE2-K is an efflux transporter protein of organic cation expressed mainly in the kidney and encoded by the SLC47A2 gene. Different variants of this gene have shown an impact on the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, including metformin, which represents one of the most widely used drugs in treating type 2 diabetes. The SLC47A2 gene variants have been scarcely studied in Mexican populations, especially in Native American groups. For this reason, we analyzed the distribution of the variants rs12943590, rs35263947, and rs9900497 within the SLC47A2 gene in 173 Native Americans (Tarahumara, Huichol, Maya, Puerepecha) and 182 Mestizos (admixed) individuals from Mexico. Genotypes were determined through TaqMan probes (qPCR). The Hardy–Weinberg agreement was confirmed for all three SLC47A2 gene variants in all the Mexican populations analyzed. When worldwide populations were included for comparison purposes, for alleles and genotypes a relative interpopulation homogeneity was observed for rs35263947 (T allele; range 23.3–51.1%) and rs9900497 (T allele; range 18.6–40.9%). Conversely, heterogeneity was evident for rs12943590 (A allele, range 22.1–59.1%), where the most differentiated population was the Huichol, with high frequencies of the risk genotype associated with decreased response to metformin treatment (A/A = 40.9%). Although the SLC47A2 gene variants allow predicting favorable response to the metformin treatment in Mexican populations, the probable high frequency of ineffectiveness should be discarded in Huichols.