IGF2BP2 and obesity interaction analysis for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Chinese Han population

Background The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate the contribution of the insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its interaction with obesity to T2DM susceptibility. Methods To clarify whether IGF2BP2 is an independent risk factor for T2DM in Chinese population, we conducted a study with a total of 2,301 Chinese Han subjects, including 1,166 T2DM patients and 1,135 controls, for the genotype of a most common and widely studied polymorphism—rs4402960 of IGF2BP2. Genotyping was performed by iPLEX technology. Gene and environment interaction analysis was performed by using multiple logistic regression models. Results The repeatedly confirmed association between IGF2BP2 (rs4402960) and T2DM had not been replicated in this cohort (P = 0.182). Interestingly, we found that obese subjects (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 28.0 kg/m2) bearing the minor A allele had an increased risk to develop T2DM (P = 0.008 for allele analysis and P