Background: Polymorphisms of the adipose most abundant transcript 1 gene (apM1) may be closely associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) as described in several recent publications. In the present study, a meta-analysis was performed to quantitatively analyse the association of apM1 polymorphisms with T2DM using previous case-control studies in Chinese populations.
Research design and method: Several electronic databases were searched for relevant articles up to January 2007. After data collection and gene loci selection, a meta-analysis was performed to assess heterogeneity, combine results and evaluate variations. Publication bias was examined by the Egger's linear regression test and fail-safe number for P = 0.05 (Nfs(0.05)). Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) test and different effect models were employed for the sensitivity analysis.
Results: The meta-analysis for this study included 2379 subjects from nine studies. The distribution of SNP45TG + GG and SNP276GG polymorphisms of the apM1 was analysed. Results of these experiments revealed a significant association between the SNP45TG + GG and SNP276GG polymorphisms of apM1 with T2DM in Chinese populations (P < or = 0.05). There was some heterogeneity in the SNP45TG + GG apM1 among these studies. The odds ratio (OR) of apM1 genotype SNP45TG + GG in T2DM was 1.59 when compared with controls (95% CI, 1.00-2.53, P = 0.05), and the OR for the wild-apM1 genotype SNP276GG in T2DM was 1.26 (95% CI, 1.00-1.59, P = 0.05). The publication bias diagnostics and sensitivity analysis confirmed the reliability and stability of this meta-analysis.
Conclusion: This apM1 polymorphism was found to be strongly associated with T2DM, and the SNP45TG + GG and SNP276GG forms of the apM1 increased risk for T2DM in Chinese populations.