A coding variant in SULT1A2 gene: association with obesity and dyslipidemia in southern Chinese adults

Abstract Background A coding variant rs1059491 in the SULT1A2 gene has been reported to be associated with childhood obesity. This study aimed to investigate the association of rs1059491 with risk of obesity and cardiometabolic abnormalities in adults. Methods This case-control study included 226 normal weight, 168 overweight and 72 obese adults who underwent a health examination in Taizhou, China. Genotyping of SULT1A2 rs1059491 was performed by Sanger sequencing. Results The minor allele frequency of rs1059491 in the overweight combined obesity and control group was 0.0292 and 0.0686, respectively. No differences in weight and body mass index were detected between TT genotype and GT + GG genotype under the dominant model, but levels of serum triglyceride was significantly lower in G-allele carriers than non-G-allele carriers (1.02 (0.74–1.32) vs. 1.35 (0.83–2.13) mmol/L, P  = 0.011). The GT + GG genotype of rs1059491 versus TT genotype reduced the risk of overweight and obesity by 54% (OR: 0.46, 95%CI: 0.22–0.96, P  = 0.037) after adjusted for sex and age. Similar results were observed for hypertriglyceridemia (OR: 0.25, 95%CI: 0.08–0.74, P  = 0.013) and dyslipidemia (OR: 0.37, 95%CI: 0.17–0.83, P  = 0.015). Conclusion This study revealed that the coding variant rs1059491 is associated with decreased risk of obesity and dyslipidemia in southern Chinese adults. More studies are needed to validate the association in other populations and its underlying mechanisms.