Type 2 diabetes mellitus and TCF7L2 gene rs12255372 G/T polymorphism: a meta-analysis involving 7990 subjects

The transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) G/T gene polymorphism, also known as rs12255372, has been linked to increases in risk for type 2 diabetes (T2DM), especially in the European population. However, a clear consensus on the subject is still lacking in analyses of the Chinese population. To explore the relationship between the TCF7L2 gene polymorphism and T2DM in the Chinese population, we conducted a meta-analysis of 7990 subjects from ten studies. Depending on whether heterogeneity was present, we employed either a fixed or random-effects model, respectively, to assess the pooled odds ratio (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI). TCF7L2 rs12255372 G/T gene polymorphism was significantly associated with T2DM in the Chinese population under allelic (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.20–1.60, p = 8.59 × 10⁻⁶), dominant (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.20–2.32, p = 0.002), heterozygous (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.18–2.31, p = 0.003), and additive genetic models (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.13–2.07, p = 0.006). In the Chinese population, TCF7L2 rs12255372 G/T gene polymorphism may correlate with an increased risk of T2DM. T allele of TCF7L2 rs12255372 G/T gene polymorphism might confer a genetic risk for T2DM in the Chinese population.