Correlation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR-γ) mRNA expression with Pro12Ala polymorphism in obesity.

Our study aimed to analyze whether the expression of PPARγ mRNA in subcutaneous adipocyte tissue correlates with Pro12Ala PPARγ2 polymorphism in the obesity context. We found that mRNA expression of PPARγ in subcutaneous adipose tissue was greater in obese subjects (P < 0.05) than in the nonobese control group.

Genetic susceptibility to type 2 diabetes: a global meta-analysis studying the genetic differences in Tunisian populations.

The present study is the first meta-analysis to evaluate type 2 diabetes (T2D)- associated polymorphisms in cohorts originated from several Tunisian regions. In fact, we evaluated the effect of seven polymorphisms in the following genes-PPARg (Pro12Ala), TNFα (-308A/G), ENPP1(K121Q), TCF7L2(rs7903146°C/T), MTHFR(C677T), ACE(I/D), and CAPN10(3R/2R)-on T2D risk, through a meta-analysis combining data of previous studies performed on Tunisian populations originating from the north, center, or south of the country. R statistics version 2.

FCGR3B allele frequencies in Tunisians of sub-Saharan origin.

Purpose Of The Study: The importance of human neutrophil antigens (HNA) in immunogenetics and their involvement in hematologic diseases have accelerated the elucidation of their molecular basis and their allele frequencies distribution has been described in many populations over the world. In this study, our aim was to evaluate the frequency of FCGR3B alleles encoding HNA-1a, 1b and 1c among Tunisians of sub-Saharan origin and to compare them to Tunisian blood donors and to a group from sub-Saharan Africa.

Patients And Methods: We typed the DNA of 106 individuals (62 Tunisians of sub-Saharan origin, 33 Tunisian blood donors and 11 from sub-Saharan Africa) for the three FCGR3B alleles by polymerase chain reaction using sequence specific primer (PCR-SSP).

Human Alu insertion polymorphisms in North African populations.

Several features make Alu insertions a powerful tool used in population genetic studies: the polymorphic nature of many Alu insertions, the stability of an Alu insertion event and, furthermore, the ancestral state of an Alu insertion is known to be the absence of the Alu element at a particular locus and the presence of an Alu insertion at the site that forward mutational change. This study analyses seven Alu insertion polymorphisms in a sample of 297 individuals from the autochthonous population of Tunisia (Thala, Smar, Zarzis, and Bou Salem) and Libya with the aim of studying their genetic structure with respect to the populations of North Africa, Western, Eastern and Central Europe. The comparative analyses carried out using the MDS and AMOVA methods reveal the existence of spatial heterogeneity, and identify four population groups.

Mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome microstructure in Tunisia.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome variation has been studied in Bou Omrane and Bou Saâd, two Tunisian Berber populations. In spite of their close geographic proximity, genetic distances between them were high and significant with both uniparental markers. A global analysis, including all previously studied Tunisian samples, confirmed the existence of a high female and male population structure in this country.