E‐Selectin Genotypes and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women

Abstract Endothelial dysfunction increases risk for type 2 diabetes. We examined whether variation in the gene for E‐selectin ( SELE ), a biomarker of endothelial dysfunction, was associated with levels of E‐selectin or diabetes quantitative traits (including fasting levels of insulin and hemoglobin A 1c ) in 719 nondiabetic participants of the Nurses’ Health Study or with risk of diabetes in 602 incident (over 10 years of follow‐up) cases and 655 control women matched for age, race, and fasting status. Variation in three single nucleotide polymorphisms previously associated with cardiovascular disease risk and having effects on E‐selectin function, S128R, G98T, and L554F, was not significantly ( p > 0.05) associated with levels of E‐selectin or diabetes quantitative traits, or with risk of incident diabetes in the primary analysis. Among women with low levels of subclinical inflammation (C‐reactive protein levels below the population median), S128R R allele carriers had a diabetes risk factor‐adjusted relative risk of incident diabetes of 1.71 (95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 2.81) relative to those with the SS genotype. Apart from an association in this subgroup, we conclude that the E‐selectin variants we examined are not important genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes in women.