BackgroundThe prevalence of metabolic syndrome has been rising worldwide, including in China, but knowledge on specific genetic determinants of metabolic syndrome is very limited. A number of studies have reported that polymorphisms in the ADIPOQ gene are associated with metabolic syndrome in Chinese Han populations. However, data is still conflicting. The objective of this study was to examine the associations of the adiponectin genetic variants with metabolic syndrome by a case-control study and meta-analyses in Chinese.MethodsWe first investigated the association of ADIPOQ rs2241766 (+45T>G in exon 2), rs266729 (−11377C>G in promoter) and rs1501299 (+276G>T in intron 2) polymorphisms with metabolic syndrome in a Hubei Han Chinese population with 322 metabolic syndrome patients and 161 normal controls recruited from the Yichang, Hubei. Then we comprehensively reviewed the association between ADIPOQ rs2241766/rs266729/rs1501299 and metabolic syndrome in the Chinese populations via a meta-analysis. The strength of association was assessed by odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsThe G allele frequency of rs2241766 in metabolic syndrome patients was significantly higher than those of controls group (29.8% vs 23.3%, OR = 1.40, P = 0.033). The logistic regression analysis adjusted by gender and age showed a nominally significant association for rs2241766 GG+GT genotype (P = 0.065, OR = 1.55) and rs1501299 GG genotype in recessive model (OR = 1.54, P = 0.066). However, no association was observed for rs266729 in our sample. We identified thirteen studies for rs2241766 (2,684 metabolic syndrome patients and 2,864 controls), three studies for rs266729, and eleven studies for rs1501299 (2,889 metabolic syndrome patients and 3,304 controls) in Chinese. Meta-analysis indicated significant associations for the rs2241766 G allele (OR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.05–1.24, P = 0.003), rs266729 GG+GT genotypes (OR = 0.80, 95%CI = 0.68–0.92, P = 0.003) and rs1501299 GG+TG genotypes (OR = 1.42, 95%CI 1.16–1.75, P = 0.001).ConclusionsOur results demonstrated ADIPOQ as a pleiotropic locus for metabolic syndrome and its components in the Han Chinese population.

Sclerostin(SOST), mainly expressed in osteocytes, is a negative regulator of bone formation. Hormones PTH and E2 inhibit the expression of the SOST gene. Transcription factors Osterix, Runx2, and Mef2c promote the SOST expression, while Sirt1 negatively regulates the SOST expression. In addition, the expression of the SOST gene is regulated by epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation and microRNA. Mutations in the SOST gene, which cause sclerosteosis and Van Buchem diseases, are associated with osteoporosis. Wnt and BMP are two important signaling pathways in bone metabolic regulation. SOST can regulate osteoblastic differentiation and bone formation by binding type I/II receptors and co-receptor LRP5/6 to inhibit BMP and Wnt signaling pathways. Suppression of SOST provides a new approach for osteoporosis treatment. This review covers the structure, function and expression regulation of the SOST gene, human disease association, mechanism in the regulation of bone metabolism and prospect in clinical application.