The agouti-related protein and body fatness in humans.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to examine the impact of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (-38C>T) in the promoter of the human agouti-related protein (hAgRP) gene on promoter affinity for transcription factors (TFs) and its possible association with body composition phenotypes.


METHODS
Electrophoretic mobility shift assays for the functional studies and association analyses for the population studies.


METHODS
Nuclear extracts were isolated from the mouse hypothalamus cell line GT1-7 and subjected to binding assays using oligonucleotide probes corresponding to the -38C>T region and an antibody for the E12/E47 TFs. Individuals (n = 259) from the HERITAGE Family Study were genotyped for the -38C>T SNP and used in the association studies.


RESULTS
Electrophoretic mobility shift and supershift assays confirmed binding of the E12/E47 TF to the -38C>T site in a genotype-dependent manner. The T allele was found exclusively in the black subjects while the genotype with the higher binding affinity, CC, was significantly associated with high BMI, fat mass, and percent body fat in the black subjects of the HERITAGE Family Study.


CONCLUSIONS
The E12/E47 TF could play a role in the regulation of hAgRP expression while the population studies suggest that the TT genotype of the -38C>T SNP could play a protective role against the development of obesity in the black population of the HERITAGE Family Study.
Argyropoulos
G
G
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge 70808, USA. argyrog@pbrc.edu
Rankinen
T
T
Bai
F
F
Rice
T
T
Province
M A
MA
Leon
A S
AS
Skinner
J S
JS
Wilmore
J H
JH
Rao
D C
DC
Bouchard
C
C
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D054366:Agouti Signaling Protein; D054369:Agouti-Related Protein; D000818:Animals; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002460:Cell Line; D015331:Cohort Studies; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
C515198:AGRP protein, human; D054366:Agouti Signaling Protein; D054369:Agouti-Related Protein; C515199:Agrp protein, mouse; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011506:Proteins