The NME7 gene is involved in the kinetics of glucose regulation

The shape of the glycemic curve during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) can predict type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Given that T2DM is common in several ciliopathies, the NME7 gene (non-metastatic cells 7), encoding a recognized member of the ciliome, was included in our panel of 19 candidate genes for glucose metabolism disturbances. The aim was to find out whether the variability of any of the genes is associated with the shape of the 3-hour glycemic curve. The study included 1,262 OGTT curves categorized into four groups according to their shape: monophasic, biphasic, triphasic and more complex multiphasic. Among all tested genes, only NME7 variants showed significant results. In the group with a biphasic trajectory, which is characterized by certain health benefits, we saw higher frequencies of wild-type homozygotes of the three linked NME7 polymorphisms rs10732287 (p<0.01), rs4264046 (p=0.01) and rs10800438 (p=0.03). In contrast, two other variants of this block, rs4656659 (p=0.01) and rs2157597 (p=0.05), showed lower proportion of wild-type homozygotes among biphasic trajectories. In conclusion, a cluster of five linked NME7 polymorphisms showed strong association with a biphasic glycemic curve. Given the compelling health benefits associated with a biphasic curve, variability in the NME7 gene represents another piece of the complex mosaic influencing healthy energy processing.