Abstract
Ghrelin coded by the GHRL gene is related to weight-gain, its deactivation possibly depending on its hydrolyzation by butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) encoded by the BCHE gene, an enzyme already associated with the body mass index (BMI). The aim was to search for relationships between SNPs of the GHRL and BCHE genes with BChE activity, BMI and obesity in 144 obese and 153 nonobese Euro-Brazilian male blood donors. In the obese individuals, a significant association with higher BChE activity, in the 72LM+72MM; –116GG genotype class (GHRL and BCHE genes, respectively) was noted. No significant differences were found otherwise, through comparisons between obese and control individuals, of genotype and allele frequencies in SNPs of the GHRL gene (Arg51Gln and Leu72Met), or mean BMI between 72LL and 72LM+72MM genotypes. Although there appears to be no direct relationship between the examined GHRL SNPs and BMI, the association of the 72M SNP with higher BChE activity in obese subjects probably points to a regulatory mechanism, thereby implying the influence of the GHRL gene on BChE expression, and a consequential metabolic role in the complex process of fat utilization.
Highlights
Obesity is a risk factor in many diseases, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, type II diabetes, breast and colon cancer, constituting a current pandemic disorder
Ghrelin (Kojima et al, 1999), a peptide related to food intake, is coded by the GHRL gene (3p25-p26)
It was shown that the administration of ghrelin leads to a gain in weight by increasing food intake and reducing fat utilization (Tschöp et al, 2000)
Summary
Obesity is a risk factor in many diseases, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, type II diabetes, breast and colon cancer, constituting a current pandemic disorder. Data on genotypes for exons 1 (G/A, rs1126680, -116 nt) and 4 (G/A; rs1803274, p.A539T; 1615 nt) of the BCHE gene, and BChE plasma activity (Dietz et al, 1972) were obtained from a previous study (Furtado-Alle et al, 2008).
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