Differences in mtDNA haplogroup distribution among 3 Jewish populations alter susceptibility to T2DM complications

Abstract

Abstract Background Recent genome-wide association studies searching for candidate susceptibility loci for common complex diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its common complications have uncovered novel disease-associated genes. Nevertheless these large-scale population screens often overlook the tremendous variation in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) and its involvement in complex disorders. Results We have analyzed the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic variability in Ashkenazi (Ash), Sephardic (Seph) and North African (NAF) Jewish populations (total n = 1179). Our analysis showed significant differences (p Conclusion Our findings support the possibility that recent bottleneck events leading to over-representation of minor mtDNA alleles in specific genetic isolates, could result in population-specific susceptibility loci to complex disorders.