Associations between genetic variants of HSD17B13 and fasting plasma glucose in Chinese children.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS:Genetic variants in 17-β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 13 (HSD17B13) were demonstrated to protect against NAFLD, which is highly related with insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. However, the effects of NAFLD associated HSD17B13 variants on circulating glucose and lipids have not been adequately investigated in children. This study aimed to investigate associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of HSD17B13 and NAFLD or its related phenotypes, such as blood glucose and serum lipids in Chinese children. METHODS AND RESULTS:We studied 1027 Chinese Han children aged 7-18 years old, which included 162 NAFLD children and 865 controls without NAFLD. Three SNPs (rs13112695, rs7692397, rs6834314) in HSD17B13 were genotyped. The multivariable logistic and linear regression models were applied to detect the associations between three SNPs and NAFLD or its related phenotypes [alanine transaminase (ALT), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and serum lipids]. The effect allele A of rs7692397 was negatively associated with FPG [β (SE) = -0.088 (0.027) mmol/L, P = 0.001], whereas the effect allele G of rs6834314 was positively associated with FPG (β (SE) = 0.060 (0.019) mmol/L, P = 0.002). After Bonferroni correction, the significant associations still remained (both P < 0.0024). No significant associations were found for NAFLD or serum lipids. CONCLUSION:The study firstly revealed the association between two HSD17B13 variants and FPG in Chinese children, providing evidence for HSD17B13 variants and abnormal glucose metabolism.