[FTO rs9939609 polymorphism and lipid and carbohydrate metabolism parameters in the indigenous population of the North of Western Siberia].

Studies investigating the association of the FTO gene with biochemical metabolism are few and varied. Indigenous populations of high-latitude regions have been the least studied. The objective of the study was to evaluate the association of the FTO rs9939609 with lipid and carbohydrate metabolism parameters in the indigenous population of northern Western Siberia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS Body mass index (BMI), blood plasma glucose (GL), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) levels were assessed in a sample of Ob Ugrians (Mansi and Khanty aged 18-64 years, n=51). Genotyping of DNA samples for the FTO gene polymorphism (T/A, rs9939609) was performed. Results were processed using Statistica 12.0 (StatSoft, USA) and the R programming environment. The magnitude of associations between traits was assessed using Spearman rank correlations (ρ), and intergroup comparisons of allele and genotype frequencies were performed using the χ2 method.

RESULTS HDL-C levels were higher in TT*FTO genotype carriers (p=0.001) compared to AA+AT variants. The most striking differences were observed between individuals with the AT* and TT* genotypes (HDL-C levels were 1.22±0.06 and 1.53±0.06 mmol/L, respectively; p=0.004). Significant correlations between TC and TG (ρ=0.62, p<0.05) and TC and HDL (in the AA+AT group, rρ=0.40, p<0.05) were observed only in A* allele carriers. The negative influence of the A* allele is indirectly confirmed by a positive association between BMI and GL (ρ=0.66, p<0.05), whereas with the TT* genotype, GL does not raise with increasing BMI.

CONCLUSION The clinical and laboratory characteristics of the Ob Ugrians correspond to physiological norms, taking into account the ethnicity of these representatives of the high-latitude adaptation type. The specific associations between FTO and metabolic parameters in the Ob Ugrians are consistent with data obtained in samples of representatives of the large Mongoloid race. The results confirm the importance of studying the population frequencies of the FTO rs9939609 alleles and the influence of this locus on the phenotype. Particular attention should be paid to populations in high-latitude regions due to the possible association of FTO with the manifestations of metabolic syndrome in indigenous, long-term, and immigrant populations of the North.