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Background: The B3-adrenergic receptor, located mainly in adipose tissue, is known to be involved in the regulation of lipolysis and thermogenesis. Recently studies have shown that the B3-adrenergic receptor gene polymorphism is associated with Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus(NIDDM) and insulin resistance. We investigated the relationship between the B3-adrenergic receptor gene polymorphism and the cli!ical and biochemical features of NIDDM patients. Methods: Anthropometeric and biochemi al characteristics were determined for 134 NIDDM subjects and 30 nondiabetic controls. All subjects were genotyped for the 0-adrenergic receptor gene mutation using restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Results: The allelic frequency of the mutated allele was similar in NIDDM subjects and nondiabetic controls(11%, 12% respectively). There was no difference in the Arg64 allelic frequency of the B3-adrenergic receptor gene according to the onset age of diabetes. In diabetic group, the clinical and biochemical characteristics were not statistically different between the B3-adrenergic receptor gene mutation and nonmutation group. In control group, also no clinical differences were found between mutation and non- mutation group. When comparing frequency of obesity according to the B3-adrenergic receptor gene mutation in diabetic patients, we did not find the difference between the two groups. Conclusion: These results suggest that the b3-adrenergic receptor gene is not a major determinant for the development of obesity and NIDDM in Korea.