Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha gene variations are not associated with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Objective: Epidemiologic, pathophysiologic, and genetic data suggest a close link between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and type 2 diabetes. Previous studies yielded controversial results on the impact of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1alpha (PGC-1) gene variations on the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Therefore, we examined two common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of this gene in women with GDM.

Methods: We assessed a total of 875 women by oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT). Two hundred women of this population, 100 patients with an abnormal OGTT and 100 normal controls, were randomly selected. DNA samples isolated from the blood of the control and study groups were analyzed with respect to the SNP Gly482Ser and Thr394Thr of the PGC-1 gene using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and restriction analysis. Furthermore, a potential interaction between the Gly482Ser and the Thr394Thr variant on the risk of GDM was investigated.

Results: Women with GDM were significantly older (32.2 +/-5.5 years vs 29.7 +/- 6.1 years; P = .005), had higher body mass indices (BMI; 28.0 +/- 7.1 kg/m2 vs 25.0 +/- 5.7 kg/m2; P = .002) and displayed higher hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values (5.6 +/- 0.9 vs 4.9 +/- 0.5; P <.001). There was no significant difference between the allele distribution of the two polymorphisms in women with and without GDM. No significant associations between the two polymorphisms and BMI or OGTT values were observed. When the different haplotype combinations of the two loci were analyzed for the risk of GDM, no significant association could be found.

Conclusion: Based on our data, the Gly482Ser and the Thr394Thr polymorphisms of the PGC-1 gene are not associated with the development of GDM.