Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the resistin (RSTN) gene

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a complex phenotype that is frequently associat ed with central obesity and insulin resistance. Recently, a protein named r esistin, encoded by RSTN (OMIM #605565), was identified in adipose tissue. Serum resistin was elevated in obese and diabetic mice, and administration of resistin to normal mice was found to interfere with glucose tolerance an d insulin action. Because of these functions, resistin is a candidate gene for diabetes and obesity. Through the use of DNA sequencing, we thus develo ped amplification primers for rapid screening of the RSTN gene that encodes resistin. No putative mutations were found, but two noncoding single-nucle otide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, and these were found to vary in frequency across various ethnic groups. The identification of amplificatio n primers and SNPs provides tools to investigate resistin for association w ith other phenotypes.