title: Associations of the Inflammatory Marker YKL-40 with Measures of Obesity and Dyslipidaemia in Individuals at High Risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Circulating levels of the inflammatory marker YKL-40 are elevated in cardiovascular disease and obesity-related type 2 diabetes (T2D), and serum YKL-40 levels are related to elements of dyslipidaemia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate the associations between serum YKL-40 and obesity-related traits in a Danish sample of non-diabetic relatives to T2D patients and, furthermore, to estimate the heritability of YKL-40.
  
  
  METHODS
  324 non-diabetic individuals with family relation to a T2D patient were included in the study. The participants underwent oral- and intravenous glucose tolerance tests for estimation of glucose tolerance and surrogate measures of insulin sensitivity. Anthropometric measures were retrieved and biochemical measures of the plasma lipid profile and serum YKL-40 levels were obtained. Association-analyses between serum YKL-40 and obesity-related traits and estimates of the narrow sense heritability of YKL-40 were based on a polygenic variance component model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fasting serum levels of YKL-40 were positively associated with waist-hip-ratio (p<0.001) and fasting plasma triglyceride levels (p<0.001). None of the insulin sensitivity indexes were significantly associated with YKL-40. According to the AE model, the familiality-estimate h2 of YKL-40 was 0.45 (SE 0.13). When the ACE-model was applied, the heritability-estimate h2 of YKL-40 did not reach statistical significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest a role of serum YKL-40 in obesity-related low grade inflammation, but do not indicate that YKL-40 is directly involved in the development of T2D.
authors.affiliation: Section of Metabolic Genetics, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Stine B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.affiliation: Section of Metabolic Genetics, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anette P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Gjesing
authors.affiliation: Center of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark.
authors.forename: Camilla N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Rathcke
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Claus T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Ekstrøm
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eiberg
authors.affiliation: Section of Metabolic Genetics, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Section of Molecular Diabetes & Metabolism, Institute of Clinical Research & Institute of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors.forename: Torben
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.affiliation: Section of Metabolic Genetics, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Institute of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Oluf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.affiliation: Section of Metabolic Genetics, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vestergaard
mesh_terms: D054392:Adipokines / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D000071451:Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1; D015897:Comorbidity; D003718:Denmark; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D037102:Lectins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio
chemical_list: D054392:Adipokines; D015415:Biomarkers; C084533:CHI3L1 protein, human; D000071451:Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1; D037102:Lectins; D014280:Triglycerides