Haplotype-based association study of TCF7L2 gene variants with the development of diabetic retinopathy in an Iranian population

Background Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is recognized as one of the most prevalent complications of diabetes and a major cause of morbidity. Transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2), a pivotal component in the Wnt-signaling pathway, plays a significant role in β-cell development, blood-glucose homeostasis, cell survival, cell migration, and cell proliferation. Thus, this study aimed to assess the association between TCF7L2 variants (rs7903146, rs11196205, and rs12255372) with DR in a population-based association study.