Associations of common polymorphisms in GCKR with metabolic syndrome

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by a combination of cardio-metabolic risk factors. Given that genetic factors have been shown to contribute to individual susceptibility to MetS, the identification of genetic markers for disease risk is essential. Recent studies revealed that rs780094 and rs1260326 of glucokinase regulatory gene (GCKR) are associated with serum triglycerides, plasma glucose levels and metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study was to investigate associations of GCKR gene variants with metabolic syndrome and its components. Methods: This case-control study was conducted from April to August 2017. In this study, 8710 adults (3522 males and 5188 females), over 19 years, were randomly selected from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) population. Based on joint interim statement (JIS) criteria, the subjects were divided into two groups: case and control. Genotyping was performed by HumanOmniExpress-24 v1.0 BeadChips (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA). Results: Allele frequencies were in conformity with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Comparisons of allele frequencies by the Chi-square test revealed that frequencies of TT genotype of both polymorphisms were significantly higher among patient group than healthy group. Logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age, gender and CRP revealed that the GCKR polymorphisms (rs1260326: odds ratio 2.7, 95% CI 1.6-4.6, rs780094: odds ratio 2.5, 95% CI 1.5-4.2) were significantly associated with MetS. Frequency of TT genotype was more in persons who had C-reactive protein (CRP) levels above 3 mg/l. The minor T allele of both polymorphisms was significantly associated with increases in the blood serum concentration triglyceride and to a decrease in fasting plasma glucose levels. Conclusion: The results of our study indicated that, rs780094 and rs1260326 common polymorphisms of the GCKR gene were associated with serum triglycerides levels, fasting plasma glucose levels, and metabolic syndrome in a sample of the Tehranian population (TLGS), as it was already confirmed the inverse effect of this polymorphisms on triglycerides and glucose levels in previous studies

Mediterranean Dietary Pattern Adherence Modify the Association between FTO Genetic Variations and Obesity Phenotypes

There is increasing interest of which dietary patterns can modify the association of fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) variants with obesity. This study was aimed at investigating the interaction of the Mediterranean dietary pattern (Med Diet) with FTO polymorphisms in relation to obesity phenotypes. Subjects of this nested case-control study were selected from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study participants. Each case was individually matched with a normal weight control (n = 1254). Selected polymorphisms (rs1421085, rs1121980, rs17817449, rs8050136, rs9939973, and rs3751812) were genotyped. Genetic risk score (GRS) were calculated using the weighted method. The Mediterranean dietary score (MDS) was computed. Individuals with minor allele carriers of rs9939973, rs8050136, rs1781749, and rs3751812 had lower risk of obesity when they had higher MDS, compared to wild-type homozygote genotype carriers. The obesity risk was decreased across quartiles of MDS in participants with high GRS (OR: 1, 0.8, 0.79, 0.67) compared to individuals with low GRS (OR: 1.33, 1.06, 0.97, 1.12) (Pinteraction < 0.05). No significant interaction between the GRS and MDS on abdominal obesity was found. A higher Med Diet adherence was associated with lower obesity risk in subjects with more genetic predisposition to obesity, compared to those with lower adherence to the Med Diet and lower GRS

Familial genetic and environmental risk profile and high blood pressure event: a prospective cohort of cardio-metabolic and genetic study

Background and aims High blood pressure is the heritable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. We investigated whether the presence of familial genetic and environmental risk factors are associated with increased risk of high blood pressure. Methods A total of 4,559 individuals from 401 families were included in this study. Familial aggregation analysis was carried out on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), and heritability was estimated for SBP and DBP. The association between familial risk factors and blood pressure traits including, incidence of hypertension, SBP and DBP was estimated separately using regression-based two-level Haseman-Elston (HE) method, with individual and familial BMI and WC as environmental exposures and familial genetic profile of known variants as genetic risk factors in 210 index families (≥2 hypertensive cases). Models were adjusted for the two nested sets of covariates. Results During a follow-up of 15 years, the SBP, DBP, BMI and WC were highly correlated in inter class of mother-offspring and intraclass of sister-sister with heritability of 30 and 25% for DBP and SBP, respectively. Among index families, those whose members with higher familial BMI or WC had significantly increased risk of hypertension and consistent, strong signals of rs2493134 (AGT) linked with SBP and DBP, rs976683 (NLGN1) linked with SBP and HTN, and epistasis of rs2021783 (TNXB) and known genetic variants linked with all blood pressure traits. Conclusions Findings from this study show that familial genetic and environmental risk profile increase risk for high blood pressure beyond the effect of the individuals’ own risk factors

Associations of autozygosity with a broad range of human phenotypes

Abstract: In many species, the offspring of related parents suffer reduced reproductive success, a phenomenon known as inbreeding depression. In humans, the importance of this effect has remained unclear, partly because reproduction between close relatives is both rare and frequently associated with confounding social factors. Here, using genomic inbreeding coefficients (FROH) for >1.4 million individuals, we show that FROH is significantly associated (p < 0.0005) with apparently deleterious changes in 32 out of 100 traits analysed. These changes are associated with runs of homozygosity (ROH), but not with common variant homozygosity, suggesting that genetic variants associated with inbreeding depression are predominantly rare. The effect on fertility is striking: FROH equivalent to the offspring of first cousins is associated with a 55% decrease [95% CI 44–66%] in the odds of having children. Finally, the effects of FROH are confirmed within full-sibling pairs, where the variation in FROH is independent of all environmental confounding