title: Obesity and FTO: Changing Focus at a Complex Locus.
abstract: The fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene was placed center stage when common intronic variants within the gene were robustly associated with human obesity. Murine models of perturbed Fto expression have shown effects on body weight and composition. However, a clear understanding of the link between FTO intronic variants and FTO activity has remained elusive. Two recent reports now indicate that obesity-associated SNPs appear functionally connected not with FTO but with two neighboring genes: IRX3 and RPGRIP1L. Here, we review these new findings and consider the implications for future analysis of GWAS hits.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Metabolic Diseases Unit, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Level 4, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Y C Loraine
authors.initials: YCL
authors.lastname: Tung
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Metabolic Diseases Unit, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Level 4, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Giles S H
authors.initials: GSH
authors.lastname: Yeo
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Metabolic Diseases Unit, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Level 4, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Rahilly
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Metabolic Diseases Unit, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Level 4, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK. Electronic address: apc36@cam.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Anthony P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Coll
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D056426:Genetic Loci; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000235:genetics*; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; D004298:Dopamine