title: Ghrelin receptor gene: identification of several sequence variants in extremely obese children and adolescents, healthy normal-weight and underweight students, and children with short normal stature.
abstract: GH secretagogue receptor (GHSR, ghrelin receptor) is involved in regulation of body weight and GH secretion. We initially analyzed two single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the GHSR in up to 184 extremely obese children and adolescents and up to 184 healthy underweight students. The frequency of the 171T allele of rs495225 was higher in our obese samples (75.0%) than in the underweight individuals (70.2%; nominal P = 0.14). This trend could not be substantiated in an additional association study in 270 obese and 145 underweight and normal weight individuals and in a transmission disequilibrium test based on 387 obesity trios (transmission rate of 171T, 51.8%; nominal P = 0.53). Additionally, the coding region of GHSR was systematically screened, and seven sequence variants were identified in 93 obese, 96 normal weight, and 94 underweight individuals and 43 children with short normal stature (SNS). Five silent single-nucleotide polymorphisms showed similar genotype frequencies in the different weight groups and SNS children (all nominal P > 0.3). Two novel missense variants were detected only in one obese carrier and one SNS child, respectively. In conclusion, we did not obtain conclusive evidence for an involvement of the ghrelin receptor gene in body weight regulation or SNS in our study groups.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing 100083, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Geller
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dempfle
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schäuble
authors.forename: Susann
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Friedel
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lichtner
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fontenla-Horro
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wudy
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hagemann
authors.forename: Ludwig
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gortner
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Huse
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Remschmidt
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bettecken
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meitinger
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hebebrand
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hinney
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000235:genetics*; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013334:Students
chemical_list: D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D054440:Receptors, Ghrelin