title: Human galanin (GAL) and galanin 1 receptor (GALR1) variations are not involved in fat intake and early onset obesity.
abstract: The neuropeptide galanin (GAL) is involved in food intake and in fat ingestion. Presumably, these effects are conveyed via the galanin 1 receptor (GALR1). We screened the coding region of GAL (including 444 bp of its promoter region) and GALR1 for mutations using single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and denaturing HPLC in up to 191 obese children and adolescents and 106 healthy underweight young adults (students). In GAL, we identified 3 novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; silent: g.-419T-->C, g.-244G-->A; missense: g.47C-->T: Ala16Val) and one infrequent missense variation (c.253A-->G: Asn85Asp), and in GALR1 2 novel SNPs (silent: c.150C-->T, missense: c.793A-->T: Ile265Phe). To test for an association with obesity, we genotyped 7 SNPs (GAL: g.-244G-->A, g.47C-->T, rs7101947, rs1042577, rs3136540; GALR1: c.150C-->T, c.793A-->T) in up to 322 obese children and adolescents compared with up to 277 healthy underweight and normal weight young adults. Furthermore, we analyzed these SNPs with respect to potential effects on the percentage of energy consumed as fat in obese children and adolescents. Allele and genotype frequencies did not differ among the groups tested. In addition, we performed a pedigree transmission disequilibrium test (PDT) for one SNP (GAL: g.-244G-->A) in 610 (518 independent) obesity-trios (obese child or adolescent and both of its parents). However, the PDT for SNP GAL g.-244G-->A revealed no transmission disequilibrium. We conclude that the analyzed SNPs in GAL and GALR1 do not play a major role in early onset obesity or dietary fat intake in the obese children and adolescents of our study groups.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Group, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Philipps-University of Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schäuble
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reichwald
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Grassl
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bechstein
authors.forename: Hans-Christian
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scherag
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Geller
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Utting
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Siegfried
authors.forename: Hanspeter
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Goldschmidt
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blundell
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lawton
authors.forename: Rahul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Whybrow
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stubbs
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Platzer
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hebebrand
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hinney
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004435:Eating / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D019004:Galanin / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D044091:Receptor, Galanin, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D044091:Receptor, Galanin, Type 1; D019004:Galanin