Abstract
A common T/A polymorphism (rs9939609) in the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene was found associated with early-onset and severe obesity in both adults and children. However, recent observations failed to find associations of FTO with obesity. To investigate the genetic background of early obesity, we analysed the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs9939609 of FTO in 371 styrian adolescents towards degree of obesity, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT)-distribution determined by lipometry, early metabolic and preatherosclerotic symptoms. The percentage of AA homozygotes for the rs9939609 SNP of FTO was significantly increased in the obese adolescents. Compared to the TT wildtype, AA homozygotes showed significantly elevated values of SAT thickness at the trunk-located lipometer measure points neck and frontal chest, body weight, body mass index, waist, and hip circumference. No associations were found with carotis communis intima media thickness, systolic, diastolic blood pressure, ultrasensitive C-reactive protein (US-CRP), homocystein, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, oxidized LDL, fasted glucose, insulin, HOMA-index, liver transaminases, uric acid, and adipokines like resistin, leptin, and adiponectin. Taken together, to the best of our knowledge we are the first to report that the rs9939609 FTO SNP is associated with trunk weighted obesity as early as in adolescence.
Highlights
Juvenile obesity usually leads to obesity in adulthood which causes life threatening sequels such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, and cancer [1]
In foregoing studies, we detected an increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) paralleled by a subclinical inflammation in obese adolescents and we provided the first evidence that preatherosclerosis is associated with individual risk profiles characterised by subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) topography and altered biomarkers [2,3,4]
The single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs1421085, rs17817449, and rs9939609, of fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) were reported to be linked to body mass index (BMI) and obesity in both adults and children [7,8,9]
Summary
Juvenile obesity usually leads to obesity in adulthood which causes life threatening sequels such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, and cancer [1]. We analysed the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs9939609 of the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene in obese styrian adolescents and in normal weight controls of the same age and gender distribution. FTO is a gene located in chromosome region 16q12.2 It was brought into connection with the central control of energy homeostasis and fat cell lipolysis [5, 6]. Li et al failed to find associations of FTO with obesity [10] To clarify this issue, we examined the so far best described FTO gene variant (i.e., SNP rs9939609) [6, 8] for correlations with grade of obesity, SAT distribution, and obesity-related metabolic and cardiovascular risk parameters in styrian adolescents
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