Further studies are warranted to determine the role of BMP-4 in the pathogenic processes underlying albuminuria and hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Given that we observed a strong correlation between BMP4 levels and adipocyte size, as well as insulin sensitivity in humans, we propose that Bmp4 is an important factor in the context of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
We found that BMP4rs8014363 showed nominal association towards type 2 diabetes, with the T allele conferring a high risk of type 2 diabetes (OR = 1.108, 95%CI 0.999-1.229, P = 0.051 for allele; OR = 1.110, 95%CI 1.000-1.231, P = 0.050 for genotype), but it was no longer statistically significant after adjusting for multiple testing (empirical P = 0.3689 for allele based on 10,000 permutations).
Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the BMP2 gene, 2 SNPs in BMP4, and 16 SNPs in BMP7 were tested for association with measures of VC using CT (coronary and carotid arteries, abdominal aorta), and BMD was measured using DXA (lumbar spine, hip, and distal radius) and quantitative CT (QCT; thoracic and lumbar spine) in 920 European Americans from 374 Diabetes Heart Study families: 762 with type 2 diabetes.