Polymorphisms of ANPEP Gene Are Associated with Microvascular Complications of Type 2 Diabetes

We studied the association of polymorphisms in the aminopeptidase N gene (ANPEP) with the development of diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). DNA samples from T2DM patients (n=1425) were genotyped for 23 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using the MassARRAY system. Associations of SNP rs13380049 of the ANPEP gene with a lower risk of diabetic retinopathy (OR=0.54, 95%CI 0.36-0.82, p=0.0032) and nephropathy (OR=0.66, 95%CI 0.44-0.99, p=0.048) were found in T2DM patients. In addition, SNP rs25653 was associated with retinopathy, and polymorphisms rs6496608, rs72756574, rs9920421, and rs4932143 were associated with diabetic nephropathy. The study demonstrated the contribution of ANPEP gene polymorphisms in the determination of microvascular complications in T2DM patients.