Molecular and Genetic Medicine

Past, Present and Future of Insulin Gene and Its Related Genes In Relation To Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Abstract

Amar Nagesh Kumar, Jupalle Nagiah Naidu, Uppala Stayanarayana and Medabalmi Anitha

Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common endocrinal disorder and is associated with infertility. Insulin resistance is a key component in the pathogenesis of PCOS and the predisposition to Type 2 diabetes mellitus. The existing literature supports a strong basis of PCOS clusters in families. However, due to the genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of PCOS and the lack of large cohort studies and identification of specific contributing genes to date have yielded only few conclusive results. Although several loci have been proposed as PCOS genes including CYP11A, the insulin gene, and a region near the insulin receptor, the strongest case can be made for the region near the insulin receptor gene. Insulin receptor substrates proteins (IRS) are critical for insulin mediated signal transduction in insulin target tissues. Several studies have shown that IRS-1 Gly972Arg polymorphism might be the factor causing susceptibility to Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and are associated with phenotypic features of
PCOS. In this article we reviewed the current status of the genetic analysis of insulin (INS), insulin  receptor (INSR), insulin receptor substrate (IRS) in relation to polycystic ovary syndrome, an infertility disorder in females.