Genetic Predictors of Liver Diseases in Residents of the Far North of Russia

Abstract

We studied the possible association between genetic variants of the enhancer of the FADS1 and FADS2 genes with a predisposition to obesity using a sample of 450 DNA samples from Yakut volunteers without chronic diseases living in Yakutia. Three groups were formed from them: with normal BMI (n=162), with obesity (n=184) and with pre-obesity (n=104). Analysis of the distribution of alleles of the rs174537 polymorphism of the FADS1 and FADS2 gene enhancer showed a higher frequency of the T allele - from 73.1% to 79.1% in all studied groups. As a result of a comparative analysis of the average body mass index depending on the genotype, it is noted that in the group of obese people in carriers of the TT genotype (BMI = 33.6 ± 0.09) it was significantly higher (td = 3.93, p = 0.0001) than in carriers of the TG genotype (BMI=33.1±0.09). We believe that, in combination with high frequencies of unfavorable alleles of the PNPLA3 and FABP2 genes in the Yakut population, there may be a high risk of diseases associated with lipid metabolism in the liver.