Sex-specific genetic effects influence variation in body composition

Aims/hypothesis: Despite well-known sex differences in body composition it is not known whether sex-specific genetic or environmental effects contribute to these differences. Methods: We assessed body composition in 2,506 individuals, from a young Dutch genetic isolate participating in the Erasmus Rucphen Family study, by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and anthropometry. We used variance decomposition procedures to partition variation of body composition into genetic and environmental components common to both sexes and to men and women separately and calculated the correlation between genetic components in men and women. Results: After accounting for age

Paternal Allele of IGF2 Gene Haplotype CTG Is Associated With Fetal and Placental Growth in Japanese

http://journals.lww.com/pedresearch/pages/default.aspx This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in (Pediatric Research, 66(2), pp.135-139, 2009)IGF-II associates with feto-placental growth in rodent and human. determined three tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to investigate haplotype frequency of IGF2 relative to size at birth in 134 healthy Japanese infants. In addition, a total of 276 healthy infants were investigated to determine whether common genetic variation of IGF2 might contribute to feto-placental growth Using haplotype analysis. Further, quantitative methylation analysis of the IGF2/HI9 wits performed using the MassARRAY Compact system. In the initial study,. the frequency of haplotype CTG front the paternal allele in small for date (SFD) infants was significantly higher than that in non-SFD infants (p = 0.03). In second Study, the CTG haplotype infants exhibited significantly lower birth length, weight. and placental weight Compared with non-CTG infants. Further, the number of infants less than - 1,5 SD (SD) birth weight in CTG haplotype was higher than those if non-CTG infants. There was no significant difference in the methylation status of HI9/IGF2 in the two haplotypes. In conclusion, inheriting the IGF2 CTG haplotype front I paternal allele results ill reduced feto-placental growth. but it is not associated with the methylation Status of IGF2/HI9. (Pediatr Res 66: 135-139, 2009