The Human Obesity Gene Map: the 2000 Update
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Review The Human Obesity Gene Map: The 2000 Update Louis Pe´russe,* Yvon C. Chagnon,* S. John Weisnagel,* Tuomo Rankinen,† Eric Snyder,† John Sands,† and Claude Bouchard† Abstract number of negative studies, which are only partially re- PE´ RUSSE, LOUIS, YVON C. CHAGNON, S. JOHN viewed here, is also on the rise. WEISNAGEL, TUOMO RANKINEN, ERIC SNYDER, JOHN SANDS, AND CLAUDE BOUCHARD. The human Key words: association, linkages, QTL, genes, Mende- obesity gene map: the 2000 update. Obes Res. 2001;9: lian syndrome 135–168. This report constitutes the seventh update of the human Introduction obesity gene map incorporating published results up to the This is the seventh update in this series on the status of end of October 2000. Evidence from the rodent and human the human obesity gene map. It incorporates the material obesity cases caused by single-gene mutations, Mendelian published by the end of October 2000. Previous reviews disorders exhibiting obesity as a clinical feature, quantita- have been published (1–6). The review has expanded con- tive trait loci uncovered in human genome-wide scans and siderably and continues to incorporate evidence from sev- in cross-breeding experiments in various animal models, eral research approaches, with each approach constituting a and association and linkage studies with candidate genes section heading. As in previous compendia, the present and other markers are reviewed. Forty-seven human cases synthesis includes sections dealing with single human gene of obesity caused by single-gene mutations in six different mutations, genetically unidentified Mendelian disorders, genes have been reported in the literature to date. Twenty- quantitative trait loci (QTLs) from rodent and other animal four Mendelian disorders exhibiting obesity as one of their model studies, association studies in humans with specific clinical manifestations have now been mapped. The number genes and mutations, human linkage studies including ge- of different quantitative trait loci reported from animal nome scans whose goals are to identify QTLs of obesity or models currently reaches 115. Attempts to relate DNA obesity-related phenotypes, and a refined pictogram of the sequence variation in specific genes to obesity phenotypes 2000 human obesity gene map. The references to each entry continue to grow, with 130 studies reporting positive asso- in the current human obesity gene map are provided for ciations with 48 candidate genes. Finally, 59 loci have been convenience. linked to obesity indicators in genomic scans and other The review includes publications that have dealt with a linkage study designs. The obesity gene map reveals that variety of phenotypes pertaining to obesity, including body putative loci affecting obesity-related phenotypes can be mass index (BMI), body fat mass, percentage of body fat, fat-free mass, skinfolds, resting metabolic rates, plasma found on all chromosomes except chromosome Y. A total of leptin levels, and other components of energy balance. As in 54 new loci have been added to the map in the past 12 previous updates, negative findings are not systematically months and the number of genes, markers, and chromo- reviewed but are briefly introduced when such data were somal regions that have been associated or linked with available to us. human obesity phenotypes is now above 250. Likewise, the In this year’s review, we are using gene symbols and chromosomal locations given in the Locus Link website Submitted for publication December 8, 2000. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/LocusLink) available from Accepted for publication in final form December 8, 2000. the National Center for Biotechnology Information, which *Division of Kinesiology, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of provides the official nomenclature of genetic loci. Medicine, Laval University, Sainte-Foy, Que´bec, Canada; and †Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We renew our request for feedback and comments on the Address correspondence to Louis Pe´russe, PhD, Department of Social and Preventive part of the investigators who are interested in any aspects of Medicine, Division of Kinesiology-PEPS Building, Laval University, Sainte-Foy, Que´bec, G1K 7P4, Canada. E-mail: [email protected] the gene map and who would like to contribute to future Copyright © 2001 NAASO editions of this publication. The electronic version of this OBESITY RESEARCH Vol. 9 No. 2 February 2001 135 The Human Obesity Gene Map: The 2000 Update, Pe´ russe et al. publication will be available at the following address: http:// tion with central adiposity, we have reviewed the hereditary www.obesity.chair.ulaval.ca/genes.html. An expanded and growth hormone and pituitary hormone deficiency syn- more extensively cross-referenced version of the map can dromes, for which several causal genes have been well- be accessed at http://www.eureka.pbrc.edu. characterized in the last decade. We have only retained those syndromes for which overall or central obesity is clearly specified in the reports. Single-Gene Mutations In the autosomal recessive category, isolated growth hor- We have added to single-gene mutation rodent models mone deficiencies with mutations in the growth hormone- (Table 1) the attractin (Atrn) gene from the Mahogany releasing hormone receptor gene have been described. mutation that suppresses diet-induced obesity. In humans, Wajnrajch et al. (12) reported on two children with predom- ATRN is located at 20p13 and encodes a transmembrane inantly truncal obesity carrying a G 3 T transversion at nt form of attractin (7). This last year has seen the discovery of another probable 265, resulting in a Glu72Stop mutation and a truncated 3 gene mutation explaining a human obesity syndrome (Table receptor. Salvatori et al. (13) described a G A transition Ј 2). Holder et al. (8) described a severely obese girl with a of nt 1 of the 5 splice site at the beginning of IVS1 in 30 weight of 47.5 kg at 67 months of age (ϩ9.3 SD) and a affected subjects of Brazilian origin with increased abdom- height of 1.27 m (ϩ3.2 SD); no other anomalies were inal fat accumulation and severe growth retardation. reported. She carried a de novo balanced translocation be- In the combined pituitary hormone deficiency syn- tween chromosomes 1 and 6 (karyotype 46,XX,t(1; dromes, multiple endocrine axes can be affected with vari- 6)(p22.1;q16.2)), which disrupted the SIM1 gene, a critical able clinical expression. In particular, hereditary growth transcription factor for the formation of supraoptic and hormone deficiency syndrome and central hypothyroidism paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei in mice. The latter nu- can lead to truncal obesity. The “Prophet of Pit-1” or clei are well known to be involved in energy homeostasis. PROP1 gene, controlling the ontogenesis of pituitary neu- The patient was heterozygous for a silent C 3 T substitu- roendocrine cells, is involved in several reported cases of tion at nucleotide (nt) 1328 in exon 9, presumably associ- combined pituitary hormone deficiency syndromes. In ated with a loss of function of SIM1. Her energy expendi- 1999, Rosenbloom et al. (14) reported on eight subjects with ture was normal for her age and weight, implying that the a 2-bp 296delGA deletion, three of whom were over the mutation probably affected energy intake. 90th percentile for BMI with respect to height. Mendonca et Among the previously reported monogenic obesity syn- al. (15) described two subjects carrying a 2-bp 301delAG dromes, the only new published cases have been on carriers deletion, both of whom had marked decreases in height but of mutations in the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) gene. increases in weight relative to height. The German group that reported on six individuals in 1999 Among the previously reported syndromes, in the auto- (9) expanded their study to three families, identifying a total somal dominant category, the major advance in the last year of 19 carriers of either a 4-base pair (bp) deletion at codon was the discovery of a gene explaining Dunnigan-type 211 or a nonsense mutation at codon 35 (10). However, familial partial lipodystrophy, a syndrome in which periph- obesity status differed between carriers, suggesting variable eral subcutaneous fat is absent. Cao and Hegele (16) de- penetrance. In a population of 209 severely obese (BMI of scribed five Canadian patients each carrying a novel G 3 A Ͼ 2 40 kg/m ) French subjects, Vaisse et al. (11) reported on change at codon 482 in exon 8 (missense mutation R482Q) 8 carriers of eight different mutations in the MC4R gene not in the lamin A/C gene (LMNA), which undergoes alterna- found in 366 normal weight controls. Several of the muta- tive splicing to produce the nuclear lamin proteins lamin A tions appeared to have a functional impact. Thus far, of a and lamin C. No unaffected members of the five families total of 47 cases of monogenic forms of obesity involving carried the mutation. 19 mutations in six different genes, MC4R mutations seem Regarding other syndromes, several new mutations in the to be the most frequent, with a total of 11 mutations respon- GNAS1 gene were reported by Aldred and Trembath (17), sible for 34 cases. as well as a review of published mutations in patients with Albright hereditary osteodystrophy, a disorder in which Mendelian Disorders obesity is one of the defining features. Prader–Willi syn- Progress is ongoing in identifying genes or narrowing drome (PWS) remains a subject of intense research, with a down the loci associated with the various adiposity-related French group demonstrating the possible involvement of a Mendelian disorders described in the Online Mendelian novel imprinted gene in the PWS locus, the NDN gene, Inheritance in Man database; a total of 24 syndromes with which is the human homologue of the mouse brain-specific known map locations are given in Table 3.