title: Identification of new genetic polymorphisms that alter the dietary requirement for choline and vary in their distribution across ethnic and racial groups.
abstract: Effect alleles (alleles with a polymorphism that is associated with the effect being measured) in a small number of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are known to influence the dietary requirement for choline. In this study, we examined a much larger number of SNPs (n=200) in 10 genes related to choline metabolism for associations with development of organ dysfunction (liver or muscle) when 79 humans were fed a low-choline diet. We confirmed that effect alleles in SNPs such as the C allele of PEMT rs12325817 increase the risk of developing organ dysfunction in women when they consume a diet low in choline, and we identified novel effect alleles, such as the C allele of CHKA SNP rs7928739, that alter dietary choline requirements. When fed a low-choline diet, some people presented with muscle damage rather than liver damage; several effect alleles in SLC44A1 (rs7873937, G allele; rs2771040, G; rs6479313, G; rs16924529, A; and rs3199966, C) and one in CHKB (rs1557502, A) were more common in these individuals. This suggests that pathways related to choline metabolism are more important for normal muscle function than previously thought. In European, Mexican, and Asian Americans, and in individuals of African descent, we examined the prevalence of the effect alleles in SNPs that alter choline requirement and found that they are differentially distributed among people of different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Overall, our study has identified novel genetic variants that modulate choline requirements and suggests that the dietary requirement for choline may be different across racial and ethnic groups.-Da Costa, K.-A., Corbin, K. D., Niculescu, M. D., Galanko, J. A., Zeisel, S. H. Identification of new genetic polymorphisms that alter the dietary requirement for choline and vary in their distribution across ethnic and racial groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, and.
authors.forename: Kerry-Ann
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: da Costa
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Research Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Karen D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Corbin
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Research Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Mihai D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Niculescu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; and.
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Galanko
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, and Nutrition Research Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA steven_zeisel@unc.edu.
authors.forename: Steven H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Zeisel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism*; D004032:Diet; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009751:Nutritional Requirements / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002794:Choline
keywords: SNP; creatine kinase; fatty liver; muscle