Genome-wide association studies have revealed that single nucleotide polymorphisms in fat mass and obesity-associated transcript (FTO) are robustly associated with body mass index and obesity.
Much attention has been paid to the prevalence and predisposition of the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene to obesity, although only a few studies have characterized the extent to which this affects cognitive function.
Here we examined association of FTO variants (rs9939609 and rs8050136) with obesity and related anthropometric and biochemical traits in 3,126 Indian children (aged 11-17 years) including 2,230 normal-weight and 896 over-weight/obese children.
Here, we consider the role of two common gene variants, FTO and TaqIA rs1800497 in driving gene × environment interactions promoting obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and cognitive change via their influence on DA receptor subtype 2 (DRD2) signaling.
The MC4R rs17782313 C allele was more associated with obesity and fat mass deposition in males than in females (P = 0.003 and P = 0.03, respectively) and low physical activity accentuated the effect of the FTO polymorphism on BMI increase and obesity prevalence (P = 0.008 and P = 0.01, respectively).
Recent studies showed that polymorphisms in the Fat and Obesity-Associated (FTO) gene have robust effects on obesity, obesity-related traits and endophenotypes associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Implications of critical PPARγ2, ADIPOQ and FTO gene polymorphisms in type 2 diabetes and obesity-mediated susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in an Indian population.
The FTO variant that confers a predisposition to obesity does not appear to be involved in the regulation of energy expenditure but may have a role in the control of food intake and food choice, suggesting a link to a hyperphagic phenotype or a preference for energy-dense foods.
Although FTO is an established obesity-susceptibility locus, it remains unknown whether it influences weight change in adult life and whether diet attenuates this association.
The aim of our study was to investigate whether the T/A rs9939609 polymorphism of the FTO gene may influence obesity and metabolic indices in children.
This gene, now known as fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) has been repeatedly replicated in several ethnicities and is affecting obesity by regulating appetite.
Association of fat-mass and obesity-associated gene FTO rs9939609 polymorphism with the risk of obesity among children and adolescents: a meta-analysis.
While it is not yet formally established that this effect is mediated through the actions of the FTO protein itself, loss of function mutations in FTO or its murine homologue Fto result in severe growth retardation, and mice globally overexpressing FTO are obese.
A meta-analysis of the four studies showed a significant inverse association between the obesity risk FTOrs9939609 A variant and depression (odds ratio=0.92 (0.89, 0.97), P=3 × 10(-4)) adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity/population structure and body-mass index (BMI) with no significant between-study heterogeneity (I(2)=0%, P=0.63).
We performed a cross-sectional study in a sample that was enriched for obesity and included 20 higher-risk participants with the AA (risk) genotype at the rs9939609 locus of FTO and 94 lower-risk participants with either the AT or TT genotype.
Despite our study being sufficiently powered to detect effects similar to those previously reported, none of the FTO SNPs were found to be associated with obesity, overweight, BMI, waist circumference, or body fat percentage.
These findings suggest that the association between the FTO genotype and obesity is influenced by the components of dietary intake, and the current dietary recommendations are particularly beneficial for those who are genetically susceptible for obesity.
The study concludes that the FTO variant is consistently associated with obesity in the Pakistani population and its association with anthropometric and lipid parameters show that it may mediate its role by altering fat deposition and disturbing serum lipid profile.
Although the biological roles of these marine algal FTO homologs are still unknown, these genes will be useful for exploring basic protein features and could hence help unravel the function of the FTO gene in vertebrates and its inferred link with obesity in humans.