Genome scan for childhood and adolescent obesity in German families.
OBJECTIVE
Several genome scans have been performed for adult obesity. Because single formal genetic studies suggest a higher heritability of body weight in adolescence and because genes that influence body weight in adulthood might not be the same as those that are relevant in childhood and adolescence, we performed a whole genome scan.


METHODS
The genome scan was based on 89 families with 2 or more obese children (sample 1). The mean age of the index patients was 13.63 +/- 2.75 years. A total of 369 individuals were initially genotyped for 437 microsatellite markers. A second sample of 76 families was genotyped using microsatellite markers that localize to regions for which maximum likelihood binomial logarithm of the odd (MLB LOD) scores on use of the concordant sibling pair approach exceeded 0.7 in sample 1.


RESULTS
The regions with MLB LOD scores >0.7 were on chromosomes 1p32.3-p33, 2q37.1-q37.3, 4q21, 8p22, 9p21.3, 10p11.23, 11q11-q13.1, 14q24-ter, and 19p13-q12 in sample 1; MLB LOD scores on chromosomes 8p and 19q exceeded 1.5. In sample 2, MLB LOD scores of 0.68 and 0.71 were observed for chromosomes 10p11.23 and 11q13, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
We consider that several of the peaks identified in other scans also gave a signal in this scan as promising for ongoing pursuits to identify relevant genes. The genetic basis of childhood and adolescent obesity might not differ that much from adult obesity.
Saar
Kathrin
K
Molecular Genetics and Gene Mapping Center, Max Delbrück Center, Berlin, Germany.
Geller
Frank
F
Rüschendorf
Franz
F
Reis
André
A
Friedel
Susann
S
Schäuble
Nadine
N
Nürnberg
Peter
P
Siegfried
Wolfgang
W
Goldschmidt
Hans-Peter
HP
Schäfer
Helmut
H
Ziegler
Andreas
A
Remschmidt
Helmut
H
Hinney
Anke
A
Hebebrand
Johannes
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D005820:Genetic Testing / Q000379:methods*; D015894:Genome, Human; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008126:Lod Score; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009679:Nuclear Family; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics*