Fat mass and obesity assoicated genes increased risk of disease in Mexican-Americans

June 10, 2008

A study from the University of Southern California suggests people of Mexican-American descent who have genetic variants of fat gene FTO and Arachidonate 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LO) had higher triglyceride and lower HDL levels. The findings were presented as an oral presentation on Sunday, June 8, at the American Diabetes Association 68th Scientific Sessions held in San Francisco.

"Our results confirm the association between FTO and fat mass and indicate that the 5-LO promoter modifies the association between FTO and lipid levels," says Mary Helen Black, candidate for PhD in Statistical Genetics and Genetic Epidemiology, at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and lead author of the study. "The genetic interaction between 5-LO and FTO was significantly associated with an inverse relationship between triglycerides and HDL levels."

The study examined 1286 participants from 165 Mexican American family members of a proband with a history of gestational diabetes and 107 control trios from the BetaGene study. Results suggest subjects who have the FTO rs9939609 A allele and at least one 5-LO short repeat allele had a 26 percent higher triglyceride count and 8 percent lower HDL cholesterol levels compared to participants with the FTO TT genotype. In contrast, among participants with two 5-LO long repeat alleles, those with an FTO A allele showed very little change in triglycerides or HDL compared to those with the FTO TT genotype.

"Understanding the interaction between these genes may help us understand the mechanism by which FTO affects adiposity. Because obesity and dyslipidemia are often precursors to diabetes, these gene interactions may play a vital role in future drug target development, which is another step toward advancing personalized medicine," Black says.

Source: University of Southern California


Rank not rated yet
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • Is Everyday Technology Killing Us?
    createdFeb 08, 2012
  • Exercise and weight loss
    createdFeb 08, 2012
  • Why do we have head aches? Our brains can't feel anything.
    createdFeb 07, 2012
  • "The end of diseases" by David Agus, interview from Daily Show with Jon Stewart
    createdFeb 04, 2012
  • Oncolytic adenovirus
    createdFeb 04, 2012
  • Nutrition label stuffs and diets
    createdFeb 02, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - Medical Sciences

More news stories

Tenofovir, leading HIV medication, linked with risk of kidney damage

(Medical Xpress) -- Tenofovir, one of the most effective and commonly prescribed antiretroviral medications for HIV/AIDS, is associated with a significant risk of kidney damage and chronic kidney disease that increases over ...

Medicine & Health / Medications

created 13 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Georgia Tech develops software for the rapid analysis of foodborne pathogens

2011 brought two of the deadliest bacterial outbreaks the world has seen during the last 25 years. The two epidemics accounted for more than 4,200 cases of infectious disease and 80 deaths. Software developed at Georgia Tech ...

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 1 hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Can Viagra treat childhood lymphatic disorder?

(Medical Xpress) -- A surprising potential therapy for severe, hard-to-treat malformations of the lymphatic system is now being studied at the Stanford School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital: researchers ...

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 47 minutes ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Don't ignore kids' snores

(Medical Xpress) -- Your ears aren’t playing tricks on you – that is the sound of snoring you hear from the bedroom of your preschooler. Snoring is common in children, but in some cases it can be a symptom of a ...

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 37 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

WHO calls for stepped-up fight against leprosy

The World Health Organization called Monday for greater efforts to fight leprosy, warning the disfiguring disease was defying efforts to wipe it out across many countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 43 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


With climate change, today's '100-year floods' may happen every three to 20 years: research

Last August, Hurricane Irene spun through the Caribbean and parts of the eastern United States, leaving widespread wreckage in its wake. The Category 3 storm whipped up water levels, generating storm surges ...

Researchers make better heat sensor based on butterfly wings

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have long known that butterfly wings produce their iridescent colors by bouncing light around and between tiny ridges in structures made of chitin. More recently they’ve discovered ...

Manipulating genes with hidden TALENs

(PhysOrg.com) -- A better understanding of gene function in model plant and animal systems could be used to develop useful traits in livestock and crop plants, and might someday lead to developments in stem ...

Alien matter in the solar system: A galactic mismatch

This just in: The Solar System is different from the space just outside it.

Couples in the same place emotionally stay together, study says

(Medical Xpress) -- Despite life’s ups and downs, couples whose feelings are in sync consistently over time are more likely to stay together, says a University of California, Davis, study.

NDSU nano research could impact flexible electronic devices

A discovery by a research team at NDSU and the National Institute of Standards and Technology shows the flexibility and durability of carbon nanotube films and coatings are intimately linked to their electronic properties. ...