Effect of obesity on the association between common variations in the PPAR gene and C-reactive protein level in Chinese Han population

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs)-α, -β/δ, and -γ are the ligand-activated transcription factors that function as the master regulators of glucose, fatty acid and lipoprotein metabolism, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. Our aim was to test the association between ten single nucleotide polymorphisms of PPARs and CRP level, as well as their interaction with overweight/obesity. A sample population of 643 subjects was recruited from the prevention of MetS and multi-metabolic disorders in Jiangsu Province of China Study. The selected SNPs in PPAR α (rs135539, rs4253778, rs1800206), PPAR β/δ (rs2016520 and rs9794), and PPAR γ (rs10865710, rs1805192, rs709158, rs3856806, and rs4684847) were genotyped. After adjustment for smoking, alcohol consumption, SBP, DBP, TG, and HDL-C, rs1800206, rs709158, rs1805192, and rs4684847 polymorphisms were significantly associated with CRP level in normal weight subjects (P < 0.05). In the overweight/obese subjects, rs1800206 was also significant associated with CRP level (P<0.01). In addition, the rs709158, rs1805192, and rs4684847 polymorphisms were shown interactions with overweight/obesity to influence CRP level (P<0.05). PPARs polymorphisms are independently associated with CRP levels in Chinese Han population. Further, PPARs polymorphisms interact with overweight/obesity to set CRP levels.