New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Glucosinolate variability between turnip organs during development

Turnip (Brassica rapa spp. rapa) is an important vegetable species, with a unique physiology. Several plant parts, including both the turnip tubers and leaves, are important for human consumption. During the development of turnip plants, the leaves function as metabolic source tissues, while the tuber first functions as a sink, while later the tuber turns into a source for development of flowers and seeds. In the present study, chemical changes were determined for two genotypes with different genetic background, and included seedling, young leaves, mature leaves, tuber surface, tuber core, stalk, flower and seed tissues, at seven different time points during plant development. As a basis for understanding changes in glucosinolates during plant development, the profile of glucosinolates was analysed using liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS). This analysis was complemented by a gene expression analysis, focussed on GLS biosynthesis, which could explain part of the observed variation, pointing to important roles of specific gene orthologues for defining the chemical differences. Substantial differences in glucosinolate profiles were observed between above-ground tissues and turnip tuber, reflecting the differences in physiological role. In addition, differences between the two genotypes and between tissues that were harvested early or late during the plant lifecycle. The importance of the observed differences in glucosinolate profile for the ecophysiology of the turnip and for breeding turnips with optimal chemical profiles is discussed.</p