Association study between candidate genes and obesity-related phenotypes using a sample of lumberjacks.
BACKGROUND
Complex traits such as obesity are modulated by genetic and environmental factors and lead to varied clinical presentations.The aim of this study was to investigate associations between candidate genes and obesity-related phenotypes using a sample of 252 lumberjacks issued from a founder population and sharing a common and circumscribed environment.


METHODS
Thirty-seven variants in 18 genes were genotyped. The restriction fragment length polymorphism method and the template-directed dye-terminator incorporation assay with fluorescence polarization detection were employed for the genotyping assays. Multivariate logistic regression models were built in order to calculate the relative odds of exhibiting obesity-related phenotypes associated with the presence of the studied polymorphism. Among them, 21 single nucleotide polymorphisms were tested for associations with obesity phenotypes.


RESULTS
Significant associations were found between carriers of the minor alleles of APOE-epsilon2, FABP2-A54T, UCP1-L229M, LPL-HindIII, LPL-S447X and LPL-T1973C, patients bearing a combination of LPL-D9N, LPL-N291S and LPL-P207L and obesity-related phenotypes.


CONCLUSIONS
The present results suggest that a particular population such as lumberjacks, sharing the same environment, could help target genes involved in complex traits.
Department of Fundamental Sciences, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Qué., Canada.
Annie
A
Chamberland
Nancy
N
Tremblay
Marc
M
Audet
Bernard
B
Gilbert
Louis
L
Pérusse
Marie-Claude
MC
Vohl
Catherine
C
Laprise
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics*; D009790:Occupations; D010641:Phenotype