Genetic association of rs7754840 and rs7756992 polymorphisms in the CDKAL1 gene and gestational diabetes mellitus in selected Filipino pregnant women

Objective: To investigate the possible association between rs7754840 and rs7756992 polymorphisms of CDKAL1 gene and susceptibility to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a Filipino pregnant population. Methods: A total of 101 patients with GDM and 99 women without GDM were included. Two CDKAL1 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), namely rs7754840 and rs7756992, were genotyped by using TaqMan allelic discrimination assays. Mann-Whitney U test, median and interquartile range were used to describe physical and biochemical characteristics. The differences in the genotype and allele distribution of the target genetic variants among the two groups of participants were assessed by using Chi-square test. Conformity to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was tested prior to conducting further analysis. Multiple logistic regression model was used to investigate the effects of the genotype models on GDM development. Results: There was no observed correlation between the genotypes of the rs7754840 SNP and oral glucose tolerance test parameters. Consequently, there was no significant association between genetic models of the rs7754840 SNP and GDM risk (additive OR 1.43, 95% CI 0.82-2.50, P=0.21; dominant OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.57-2.59, P=0.62; recessive OR 1.63, 95% CI 0.86-3.09, P=0.13). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest no association between CDKAL1 gene variant rs7754840 and GDM development in Filipino pregnant women. Further studies with a larger population should be performed to validate our findings.