Context: Krüppel-like factor (KLF11) is a transcription factor of the zinc finger domain family that has been shown to regulate expression of the insulin gene. An initial study reported that a KLF11 variant predicting a Q62R was associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in French Caucasians; however, subsequent studies have failed to identify an association between this variant and T2D in subjects from a similar Northern-European ancestry.

Objective: We sought to determine whether the Q62R or other variants within KLF11 were associated with T2D in Pima Indians, a population with an extremely high prevalence of this disease.

Design, Setting and Subjects: KLF11 was sequenced in 24 Pima Indians to identify potentially novel variants. Eighteen variants were genotyped in a family-based sample of 1337 Pima Indians to analyze the linkage disequilibrium pattern of this gene and identify representative variants. Four representative variants were further genotyped in a population based sample of 3501 full-heritage Pima Indians for association analyses. Among these subjects, 413 had undergone metabolic studies when they were non-diabetic to measure traits that predict T2D.

Results: Neither the Q62R, nor any other common variant in KLF11 was associated with T2D in the Pima population. In addition, no variant was associated with insulin secretion or insulin-stimulated glucose disposal rate.

Conclusion: Common variation in KLF11 variation does not appear to influence the population-based risk for developing T2D among full-heritage Pima Indians. Thus, KLF11 is unlikely to play a major role in the etiology of T2D among this Native American population.