Associations between two single nucleotide polymorphisms in the adiponectin gene and polycystic ovary syndrome

In the present study we determined whether genetic variability in the gene encoding adiponectin is associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Altogether 143 Caucasian women with PCOS and 245 healthy controls were genotyped for two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exon 2 and intron 2 in the adiponectin gene. Single-point analysis was expanded to pair-of-loci haplotype analysis to examine the estimated haplotype frequencies of the two SNPs, of unknown phase, in the PCOS and control groups. Estimated haplotype frequencies were assessed using the maximum-likelihood method, employing an expectation-maximization algorithm. A significantly different allele distribution in intron 2 SNP was observed between the groups, with the T allele being significantly reduced in the PCOS group (25.9%) compared with the control group (32.7%) ( p = 0.047), at an odds ratio of 0.72 (95% confidence interval 0.52-0.99). Otherwise, the allele and genotype distributions in either SNP were not statistically different between the groups. In haplotype estimation analysis, there was a lower frequency of the haplotype T-T in the PCOS group (25.9%) than in the control group (32.7%) ( p = 0.058). We conclude that polymorphisms of the adiponectin gene may be implicated in individual susceptibility to PCOS.