Plasma lipid abnormalities are implicated in the pathogenic process of type 2 diabetes.The IDE-KIF11-HHEX gene cluster on chromosome 10q23.33 has been identified as a susceptibility locus for type 2 diabetes.We hypothesized that genetic variants at 10q23.33 may be associated with plasma lipid concentrations.Seven tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs:rs7923837,rs2488075,rs947591,rs11187146,rs5015480,rs4646957 and rs1111875) at 10q23.33 were genotyped in 3,281 subjects from a Han Chinese population,using the TaqMan OpenArray and Sequenom MassARRAY platforms.Multiple linear regression analyses showed that SNP rs7923837 in the 3'-flanking region of HHEX was significantly associated with triglyceride levels(P = 0.019,0.031 mmol/L average decrease per minor G allele) and that rs2488075 and rs947591 in the downstream region of HHEX were significantly associated with total cholesterol levels(P = 0.041,0.058 mmol/L average decrease per minor C allele and P = 0.018,0.063 mmol/L average decrease per minor A allele,respectively).However,the other four SNPs(rs11187146,rs5015480,rs4646957 and rs1111875) were not significantly associated with any plasma lipid concentrations in this Chinese population.Our data suggest that genetic variants in the IDE-KIF11-HHEX gene cluster at 10q23.33 may partially explain the variation of plasma lipid levels in the Han Chinese population.Further studies are required to confirm these findings in other populations.
