Identification and validation of N-acetyltransferase 2 as an insulin sensitivity gene.

Knowles JW, Xie W, Zhang Z, Chennamsetty I, Chennemsetty I, Assimes TL, Paananen J, Hansson O, Pankow J, Goodarzi MO, Carcamo-Orive I, Morris AP, Chen YD, Mäkinen VP, Ganna A, Mahajan A, Guo X, Abbasi F, Greenawalt DM, Lum P, Molony C, Lind L, Lindgren C, Raffel LJ, Tsao PS, RISC (Relationship between Insulin Sensitivity and Cardiovascular Disease) Consortium , EUGENE2 (European Network on Functional Genomics of Type 2 Diabetes) Study , GUARDIAN (Genetics UndeRlying DIAbetes in HispaNics) Consortium , SAPPHIRe (Stanford Asian and Pacific Program for Hypertension and Insulin Resistance) Study , Schadt EE, Rotter JI, Sinaiko A, Reaven G, Yang X, Hsiung CA, Groop L, Cordell HJ, Laakso M, Hao K, Ingelsson E, Frayling TM, Weedon MN, Walker M, Quertermous T

J. Clin. Invest. 125 (4) 1739-1751 [2015-04-00; online 2015-03-23]

Decreased insulin sensitivity, also referred to as insulin resistance (IR), is a fundamental abnormality in patients with type 2 diabetes and a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. While IR predisposition is heritable, the genetic basis remains largely unknown. The GENEticS of Insulin Sensitivity consortium conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for direct measures of insulin sensitivity, such as euglycemic clamp or insulin suppression test, in 2,764 European individuals, with replication in an additional 2,860 individuals. The presence of a nonsynonymous variant of N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) [rs1208 (803A>G, K268R)] was strongly associated with decreased insulin sensitivity that was independent of BMI. The rs1208 "A" allele was nominally associated with IR-related traits, including increased fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1C, total and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and coronary artery disease. NAT2 acetylates arylamine and hydrazine drugs and carcinogens, but predicted acetylator NAT2 phenotypes were not associated with insulin sensitivity. In a murine adipocyte cell line, silencing of NAT2 ortholog Nat1 decreased insulin-mediated glucose uptake, increased basal and isoproterenol-stimulated lipolysis, and decreased adipocyte differentiation, while Nat1 overexpression produced opposite effects. Nat1-deficient mice had elevations in fasting blood glucose, insulin, and triglycerides and decreased insulin sensitivity, as measured by glucose and insulin tolerance tests, with intermediate effects in Nat1 heterozygote mice. Our results support a role for NAT2 in insulin sensitivity.

NGI Uppsala (SNP&SEQ Technology Platform) [Service]

National Genomics Infrastructure [Service]

PubMed 25798622

DOI 10.1172/JCI74692

Crossref 10.1172/JCI74692

pii: 74692
pmc: PMC4409020


Publications 9.5.0