The Application of Clinical Genetics (Dec 2020)

Incidence of HNF1A and GCK MODY Variants in a South African Population

  • Matsha TE,
  • Raghubeer S,
  • Tshivhase AM,
  • Davids SFG,
  • Hon GM,
  • Bjørkhaug L,
  • Erasmus RT

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 13
pp. 209 – 219

Abstract

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Tandi E Matsha,1,* Shanel Raghubeer,1,* Abegail M Tshivhase,1 Saarah FG Davids,1 Gloudina M Hon,1 Lise Bjørkhaug,2 Rajiv T Erasmus1 1SAMRC/Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville Campus, Cape Town 7530, South Africa; 2Department of Safety, Chemistry, and Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Shanel RaghubeerSAMRC/CPUT/Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health & Wellness Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville Campus, Cape Town 7530, South AfricaTel +27 21 959 6015Email [email protected] and Aim: Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is the result of single gene variants. To date, fourteen different MODY subtypes have been described. Variants in genes coding for glucokinase (GCK, MODY2) and hepatic nuclear factor 1 alpha (HNF1A, MODY3) are most frequently encountered. MODY patients are often misdiagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, resulting in incorrect treatment protocols. At the time of reporting, no data are available on MODY prevalence in populations from Africa. Our study aimed to investigate and report on the incidence of MODY-related variants, specifically HNF1A variants, in a population from the Western Cape.Methods: Study participants were recruited (1643 in total, 407 males, 1236 females) and underwent anthropometric tests. Thereafter, blood was collected, and real-time PCR was used to screen for specific variants in HNF1A and GCK genes.Results: Ninety-seven individuals (5.9%) were identified with a specific HNF1A gene polymorphism (rs1169288) and twelve (0.9%) with a GCK polymorphism (rs4607517).Conclusion: In total, 6.6% of the study population expressed MODY variants. To our knowledge, we are the first to report on MODY incidence in Africa. This research provides the basis for MODY incidence studies in South Africa, as well as data on non-Caucasian populations.Keywords: MODY, HNF1A, GCK, diabetes mellitus, monogenic diabetes, South Africa

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