The significance of the Trp 64 Arg mutation of the β3-adrenergic receptor gene in impaired glucose tolerance, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and insulin resistance in Japanese subjects

It has been reported that the Trp 64 Arg mutation of the human beta(3)-adrenergic receptor (beta(3)-AR) gene is related to an earlier age of onset of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and features of insulin resistance and weight gain in morbidly obese patients. However, such findings have not been consistent in varying ethnic populations. In the present study, we investigated the frequency of the Trp 64 Arg mutation of the human beta(3)-AR gene in Japanese control subjects (n = 253) and in NIDDM (n = 314) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) patients (n = 100). We compared the frequency of the mutation with the body-mass index (BMI) in these groups and with the metabolic clearance rate (MCR) of glucose in the NIDDM patients. A Trp 64 Arg mutation was observed in 36.7%, 31.6%, and 37.0% of the control, NIDDM, and IGT subjects, respectively. The frequency of the homozygotes for the mutation was 4.3%, 4.8%, and 3.0%, respectively. Neither the genotype frequency (Trp/Arg, Arg/Arg) nor the frequency of the mutated allele was significantly different among the three groups. The BMI of the subjects with the mutation was not significantly higher than that of the subjects without the mutation in each group. Furthermore, the allele frequency (A) was not different among the subjects with different BMIs (BMI < 22.0, 22.0 less than or equal to BMI less than or equal to 26.4, BMI > 26.4) in each group. In a separate group of NIDDM patients, the MCR of the subjects with intermediate BMIs (22.0 less than or equal to BMI less than or equal to 26.4) with the mutation tended to be lower than that of those without the mutation. In addition, the MCR of the subjects with the mutation in this group was significantly lower compared with that of those with a BMI less than 22. These results indicate that the Trp 64 Arg mutation of the beta(3)-AR gene may not contribute to the development of NIDDM or be a determinant of obesity in the Japanese population. However, the mutation may contribute to insulin resistance in NIDDM patients with an intermediate BMI. Copyright (C) 1998 by W.B. Saunders Company.