Sequence Analysis of Transcription Factor 7-like 2 Protein (TCF7L2) in Iraqi Patients with Diabetic Mellitus Type 2 Using Bioinformatics Methods

Several previously published reports have suggested a relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and chromosome 10q. The results of genotyping of 228 microsatellite markers in Icelandic people with T2DMrevealed that a microsatellite, DG10S478, within intron 3 of the transcription factor 7-like 2 gene (TCF7L2; formerly TCF4) was associated with T2DM. The present study was aimed to analyze the sequence of TCF7L2 in Iraqi patients with T2DM. This study was performed on the blood samples of 10 patients within the age range of 18-70 years old with T2DM. The DNA was extracted from the whole blood samples and the TCF7L2 gene was purified and amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Afterward, the PCR products were run in gel electrophoresis to detect the gene. Moreover, the BLAST software was used to analyze the gene TCF7L2 sequence which was compared with the reference sequence of the template gene from NCBI. The results of TCF7L2 gene sequences obtained from the samples collected from the Iraqi patients with T2DMwere received from Macogen Company, Korea, and analyzed using the BLAST software. The findings showed mutations in the gene sequence of all patients, compared to the gene sequences in NCBI. Hence, the mutation in the TCF7L2 gene was present in Iraqi patients with T2DM, and it could be one of the factors causing and increasing the risk of T2DM disease.