title: Role ofUCP1Gene Variants in Interethnic Differences in the Development of Cardio-Metabolic Diseases.
abstract: Cardio-metabolic diseases (CMDs) comprise a cluster of risk factors that contribute to chronic pathological conditions with adverse consequences for cardiovascular function and metabolic processes. A wide range of CMD prevalence rates among different ethnic groups has been documented. In view of accumulated evidence, there is a trend toward increasing CMD prevalence rates in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Numerous studies have revealed an association between uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) gene variants and CMDs. UCP1 activity is essential for brown adipose tissue (BAT)-mediated thermogenesis. Experimental animal studies and epidemiological studies in humans highlight the significance of BAT-mediated thermogenesis in protecting against obesity and maintaining a lean phenotype. We hypothesize that the genetic variation inUCP1gene expression observed among different ethnic groups could contribute to the ethnic-specific predisposition to CMD development. Constructing such prevalence maps ofUCP1gene variants could contribute significantly into identifying high-risk ethnic groups predisposed to the development of CMDs, and further shaping public health policies by the improvement of existing preventive and management strategies.
authors.affiliation: FAME Laboratory, Institute of Research and Technology Thessaly, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas Trikala, Greece.
authors.forename: Andreas D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Flouris
authors.affiliation: Institute of Gene Biology - Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Yulii V
authors.initials: YV
authors.lastname: Shidlovskii
authors.affiliation: Institute of Gene Biology - Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexander V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Shaposhnikov
authors.affiliation: National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia Yerevan, Armenia.
authors.forename: Levon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yepiskoposyan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry of Biologically Active Compounds - National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Grodno, Belarus.
authors.forename: Liliya
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nadolnik
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy - Polish Academy of Sciences Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Karabon
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy - Polish Academy of Sciences Wrocław, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kowalska
authors.affiliation: FAME Laboratory, Institute of Research and Technology Thessaly, Centre for Research and Technology HellasTrikala, Greece; Department of Exercise Science, Chatham University, PittsburghPA, USA.
authors.forename: Andres E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Carrillo
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing, Wolverhampton University Walsall, UK.
authors.forename: George S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Metsios
authors.affiliation: FAME Laboratory, Institute of Research and Technology Thessaly, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas Trikala, Greece.
authors.forename: Paraskevi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sakellariou
keywords: brown adipose tissue; cardio-metabolic diseases; ethnic groups; gene variants; metabolism; population studies; prevalence rates; uncoupling protein 1