# Association of circadian rhythms, MTNR1B, BMAL1, BMAL2, and CRY2 gene polymorphisms and their interactions with type 2 diabetes in coal miners

**Authors:** Qinglin Li, Haoyue Cao, Xiaohong Zhang, Juxiang Yuan, Chunze Zhang

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2026.1567465 · Frontiers in Endocrinology · 2026-03-02

## TL;DR

This study finds that disrupted circadian rhythms and specific gene variants increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in coal miners.

## Contribution

The study identifies gene-circadian rhythm interactions that elevate T2DM risk and proposes a five-factor model for precision prevention.

## Key findings

- Higher circadian rhythm disorder scores and specific SNPs (rs10830963, rs7958822, rs11605924) are linked to increased T2DM risk.
- A five-factor interaction model (GMDR) significantly increases T2DM risk in coal miners.
- The findings suggest that high-risk genetic combinations are unsuitable for shift work.

## Abstract

To investigate the interaction between circadian rhythm disorders and related gene polymorphisms (SNPs) in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Cross-sectional study included 4,070 coal miners who underwent occupational health examinations between 2017 and 2018. We constructed comprehensive indicators of circadian rhythm disorder (CICRD) using factor analysis. In case-control analysis, 424 cases and 464 controls were randomly selected from 3,878 male coal miners. Logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between CICRD, selected SNPs, and T2DM. Gene-gene and gene-environment interactions were evaluated using log-linear models and the generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) method.

The CICRD captures 79.771% of seven circadian rhythm disorder assessment indicators. Higher CICRD and variants at rs10830963 (MTNR1B), rs7958822 (BMAL2), and rs11605924 (CRY2) were associated with an increased risk of T2DM (P < 0.05).A CICRD score ≥ 0.2782 with each high-risk SNP (rs10830963, rs1387153, rs7958822, rs11605924) significantly increased T2DM risk (P < 0.05).The five-factor interaction model (rs10830963-rs7950226-rs7958822-rs11605924-CICRD) based on the GMDR method significantly increased T2DM risk in the full dataset (P < 0.05).

The interaction between circadian rhythm disruption and high-risk SNP genotypes further amplifies the risk of T2DM among coal miners. Notably, the five-factor interaction model (rs10830963-rs7950226-rs7958822-rs11605924-CICRD) provides a standardized basis for assessing circadian rhythm disruption, screening high-risk populations, and identifying that high-risk genetic combinations are unsuitable for shift work, offering scientific evidence for the precision prevention of T2DM in coal miners.

## Linked entities

- **Genes:** MTNR1B (melatonin receptor 1B) [NCBI Gene 4544], BMAL1 (basic helix-loop-helix ARNT like 1) [NCBI Gene 406], BMAL2 (basic helix-loop-helix ARNT like 2) [NCBI Gene 56938], CRY2 (cryptochrome circadian regulator 2) [NCBI Gene 1408]
- **Diseases:** type 2 diabetes (MONDO:0005148)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** BMAL2 (basic helix-loop-helix ARNT like 2) [NCBI Gene 56938] {aka ARNTL2, CLIF, MOP9, PASD9, bHLHe6}, BMAL1 (basic helix-loop-helix ARNT like 1) [NCBI Gene 406] {aka ARNTL, ARNTL1, BMAL1c, JAP3, MOP3, PASD3}, MTNR1B (melatonin receptor 1B) [NCBI Gene 4544] {aka FGQTL2, MEL-1B-R, MT2}, CRY2 (cryptochrome circadian regulator 2) [NCBI Gene 1408] {aka HCRY2, PHLL2}
- **Diseases:** type 2 diabetes (MESH:D003924), CICRD (MESH:D021081)
- **Mutations:** rs7958822, rs11605924, rs1387153, rs7950226, rs10830963

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

42 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12989341/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12989341