The relationship of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma 2 exon 2 and exon 6 gene polymorphism in Turkish type 2 diabetic patients with and without nephropathy M. Erdogan a , M. Karadeniz a, * , Z. Eroglu b , B. Tezcanlı b , N. Selvi b , C. Yilmaz a a Ege University Medical School, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism Disease, 35100 Izmir, Turkey b Ege University Medical School, Department of Medical Biology, Izmir, Turkey Received 21 January 2007; accepted 16 June 2007 Available online 6 August 2007 Abstract Background: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) has recently been shown to be associated with type 2 diabetes. We aim to investigate Turkish type 2 diabetic patients with/without diabetic nephropathy and healthy group and examined the contribution of the G/C exon 2 and T/C exon 6 of the PPARgamma gene polymorphism to the development of diabetic nephropathy. Methods: The PPARgamma genotypes were determined retrospectively in 43 patients with nephropathy and 48 without nephropathy and a control group of 50 healthy individuals. Genotyping of the G/C exon 2 and T/C exon 6 of the PPAR-gamma gene polymorphism for all individuals was performed by melting curve analysis of the generated amplicons after real-time online PCR. Results: This genotype (exon 2 and exon 6) distribution did not differ between control subjects and type 2 diabetic patients. The genotype frequencies and allele exon 2 were CC, 100%; GC, 0%; GG, 0% and C, 100%; G, 0% in diabetic patients with nephropathy versus CC, 97.9%; GC, 2.1%; GG, 0% and C 98.9%, G 1.1% in those without nephropathy. Genotype exon 6 frequencies in diabetic patients with nephropathy were (T/T) 0%, (T/C) 14%; (C/C) 86% versus (G/G) 0%; (G/C) 2.1%; (C/C) 97.9% in those without nephropathy. The PPARgamma exon 2 and exon 6 genotype and allele frequencies were not different between diabetic patients with and without nephropathy. Conclusions: PPARgamma exon 2 and exon 6 gene polymorphism is not associated with the development of diabetic nephropathy in Turkish type 2 diabetic patients. # 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Exon 2 and exon 6 gene polymorphism; Turkish type 2 diabetic patients; Nephropathy 1. Introduction Type 2 diabetes is a well-recognised cause of chronic renal failure (CRF) [1]. Glycaemic control and diabetes duration are the major risk factors for diabetic nephropathy. Hyper- tension, which is twice as common in diabetics than in the general population, as well as ethnic origin, plays an important role too. However, as not all diabetic patients will develop diabetic nephropathy, this support the hypothesis for factors of genetic susceptibility (or of protection!) to diabetic nephro- pathy [2]. www.elsevier.com/locate/diabres Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice 78 (2007) 355–359 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 232 3473085; fax: +90 232 373 77 01. E-mail address: muammerkaradenis@yahoo.com (M. Karadeniz). 0168-8227/$ – see front matter # 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2007.06.005