Restriction site at the human HepG2 Glucose transporter (GLUT) gene locus in Caucasians and West Indian subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes

Digestion of human genomic DNA with the restriction enzyme StuI revealed a 2-allele polymorphism with a human HepG2 glucose transporter probe. Bands of 3.2 kilobases (kb; S1 allele) and 2.6 kb (S2 allele) were observed. The genotype frequencies were investigated in 2 non-insulin-dependent diabetic populations. The genotype frequencies of S1S1, S1S2 and S2S2 were 6, 42 and 52% among Caucasian diabetic subjects (n = 48), and 11, 38 and 51% in 47 controls, respectively. In West Indian diabetic patients (n = 48), the genotype frequencies were 17, 54 and 29%, and for 36 controls they were 25, 33 and 42%, respectively. The polymorphism information content of this restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) is 0.32 in Caucasians and 0.37 in West Indians, respectively. There was no significant difference of allele or genotype frequencies between the diabetic patients and non-diabetic controls in either group. Haplotype analysis of the StuI and XbaI RFLPs showed that there was also no significant difference in the frequencies of the four different haplotypes S1X1, S1X2, S2X1 and S2X2 between the patients and controls. However, there was a difference for the frequency of the S1 allele between Caucasians (controls 30%, patients 27%) and West Indians (controls 42%, patients 44%). There was also a significant difference in the frequency of haplotype S2X2 between these two racial groups (controls 48%, cases 51% for Caucasians, and controls 33%, cases 22% for West Indians).