Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the genetic polymorphism associations with obesity of the transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2 ) gene rs11196218 (A/G) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP1-R ) gene rs761386 (C/T) in the Chinese population.
Patients and Methods: This was a case–control pilot study involving 60 patients with obesity and 69 non-obesity Chinese adults, and the two groups were sex and age matched. Anthropometric indices of obesity, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids were assessed. Both polymorphisms were genotyped using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF).
Results: There were significant differences in the allelic frequencies of the TCF7L2  rs11196218 and GLP1-R  rs761386 between obesity and non-obesity groups (P = 0.003, OR = 2.32, 95% CI [1.31∼ 4.09]; P = 0.034, OR = 1.94, 95% CI [1.05∼ 3.60], respectively). In allele model, the genotypic frequencies of TCF7L2  rs11196218 and GLP1-R  rs761386 also differed between obesity and non-obesity groups (P = 0.014 and 0.033, respectively). In dominant model, the TCF7L2  rs11196218 A-carrier (AA/AG) had a higher risk of obesity than GG genotype (P = 0.014, OR = 2.54, 95% CI [1.21∼ 5.35]). Comparison of clinical and biochemical parameters between genotypes showed no significant difference.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that the rs11196218 (A/G) polymorphism of the TCF7L2  gene and the rs761386 (C/T) polymorphism of the GLP1-R  gene were associated with obesity in the Chinese population.
Keywords: obesity, genetic association, TCF7L2 , GLP1-R , polymorphism, Chinese