LMX1B rs10733682 Polymorphism Interacts with Macronutrients, Dietary Patterns on the Risk of Obesity in Han Chinese Girls

TT Genotype of TLR4 rs1928295 Is a Risk Factor of Overweight/Obesity in Han Chinese Children Aged 7-12 Years and Can Interact with Dietary Patterns to Affect the Incidence of Central Obesity and Lipid Profile, Systolic Blood Pressure Levels

Previous studies have found that TLR4 rs1928295 polymorphism is associated with Body Mass Index in European and American Indian adults. This study evaluates the relationship between this locus polymorphism, obesity-related parameters and dietary patterns in Chinese Han Children. A total of 798 children aged 7-12 years were included in this cross-sectional study. An improved Multiple Ligase Detection Reaction was used for genotyping. Dietary patterns were identified by principal component factor analysis. The overweight/obesity rate of the TT genotype was greater than those of the CC/CT genotype (p = 0.032 and 0.048 in boys and girls, respectively). Boys of the TT genotype could interact with protein and cholesterol intake to increase low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (p = 0.02, 0.015, respectively), while girls of the TT genotype could interact with total energy intake to increase triglyceride (TG) (p = 0.018) levels. Boys predisposed to a healthy balance dietary pattern (HBDP) and girls predisposed to an egg/fruit/fish dietary pattern (EFDP) were significantly associated with lower rates of central obesity (p = 0.045, 0.028). Boys carrying the TT genotype and predisposed to animal food dietary pattern (AFDP) had a higher level of low-density lipoprotein (p = 0.017) and systolic pressure (p = 0.044). Our results indicated that the TT genotype of TLR4 rs1928295 is a potential risk factor for obesity in Chinese Han children and is associated with dietary patterns.

The Genetic Basis of Childhood Obesity: A Systematic Review

Overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence represents one of the most challenging public health problems of our century owing to its epidemic proportions and the associated significant morbidity, mortality, and increase in public health costs. The pathogenesis of polygenic obesity is multifactorial and is due to the interaction among genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. More than 1100 independent genetic loci associated with obesity traits have been currently identified, and there is great interest in the decoding of their biological functions and the gene-environment interaction. The present study aimed to systematically review the scientific evidence and to explore the relation of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and copy number variants (CNVs) with changes in body mass index (BMI) and other measures of body composition in children and adolescents with obesity, as well as their response to lifestyle interventions. Twenty-seven studies were included in the qualitative synthesis, which consisted of 7928 overweight/obese children and adolescents at different stages of pubertal development who underwent multidisciplinary management. The effect of polymorphisms in 92 different genes was assessed and revealed SNPs in 24 genetic loci significantly associated with BMI and/or body composition change, which contribute to the complex metabolic imbalance of obesity, including the regulation of appetite and energy balance, the homeostasis of glucose, lipid, and adipose tissue, as well as their interactions. The decoding of the genetic and molecular/cellular pathophysiology of obesity and the gene-environment interactions, alongside with the individual genotype, will enable us to design targeted and personalized preventive and management interventions for obesity early in life.

In the context of the triple burden of malnutrition: A systematic review of gene-diet interactions and nutritional status

Genetic background interacts with dietary components to modulate nutritional health status. This study aimed to review the evidence for gene-diet interactions in all forms of malnutrition. A comprehensive systematic literature search was conducted through April 2021 to identify observational and intervention studies reporting the effects of gene-diet interactions in over-nutrition, under-nutrition and micronutrient status. Risk of publication bias was assessed using the Quality Criteria Checklist and a tool specifically designed for gene-diet interaction research. 167 studies from 27 populations were included. The majority of studies investigated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in overnutrition (n = 158). Diets rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and low in total and saturated fats, such as Mediterranean and DASH diets, showed promising effects for reducing obesity risk among individuals who had higher genetic risk scores for obesity, particularly the risk alleles carriers of FTO rs9939609, rs1121980 and rs1421085. Other SNPs in MC4R, PPARG and APOA5 genes were also commonly studied for interaction with diet on overnutrition though findings were inconclusive. Only limited data were found related to undernutrition (n = 1) and micronutrient status (n = 9). The findings on gene-diet interactions in this review highlight the importance of personalized nutrition, and more research on undernutrition and micronutrient status is warranted.

Genetic and epigenetic nutritional interactions influencing obesity risk and adiposity outcomes

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This article aims to critically overview the current interplay of genetic/epigenetic factors and several nutritional aspects influencing obesity susceptibility and adiposity outcomes for obesity management and weight status monitoring.

RECENT FINDINGS

Single nucleotide polymorphisms located in or near genes participating in energy homeostasis, fatty acid metabolism, appetite control, brain regulation, and thermogenesis have been associated with body composition measures (body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, body fat percentage, and visceral adipose tissue) depending on nutrient intakes, dietary patterns, and eating behaviors. Moreover, studies analyzing interactions between the epigenome and dietary intakes in relation to adiposity outcomes are reported. The main epigenetic mechanisms include methylation levels of promoter sequences, telomere length, and micro-ribonucleic acid expression profiles, whereas covalent histone modifications remain less studied.

SUMMARY

Exploring potential interactions between the genetic/epigenetic background and nutritional features is improving the current understanding of the obesity physiopathogenesis and the usefulness of translating this precision information in the clinical setting for weight gain prediction, the design of personalized nutrition therapies as well as individual responsiveness estimation to dietary advice. The analysis of further relationships between the genotype, the epigenotype and other precision markers including the gut microbiota and the metabolome is warranted.

Evidence That Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta Dopaminergic Neurons Are Selectively Vulnerable to Oxidative Stress Because They Are Highly Metabolically Active

There are 400–500 thousand dopaminergic cells within each side of the human substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) making them a minuscule portion of total brain mass. These tiny clusters of cells have an outsized impact on motor output and behavior as seen in disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). SNpc dopaminergic neurons are more vulnerable to oxidative stress compared to other brain cell types, but the reasons for this are not precisely known. Here we provide evidence to support the hypothesis that this selective vulnerability is because SNpc neurons sustain high metabolic rates compared to other neurons. A higher baseline requirement for ATP production may lead to a selective vulnerability to impairments in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) or genetic insults that impair Complex I of the electron transport chain. We suggest that the energy demands of the unique morphological and electrophysiological properties of SNpc neurons may be one reason these cells produce more ATP than other cells. We further provide evidence to support the hypothesis that transcription factors (TFs) required to drive induction, differentiation, and maintenance of midbrain dopaminergic neural progenitor cells which give rise to terminally differentiated SNpc neurons are uniquely involved in both developmental patterning and metabolism, a dual function unlike other TFs that program neurons in other brain regions. The use of these TFs during induction and differentiation may program ventral midbrain progenitor cells metabolically to higher ATP levels, allowing for the development of those specialized cell processes seen in terminally differentiated cells. This paper provides a cellular and developmental framework for understanding the selective vulnerability of SNpc dopaminergic cells to oxidative stress.

Genetic Interactions with Intrauterine Diabetes Exposure in Relation to Obesity: The EPOCH and Project Viva Studies

To examine whether BMI-associated genetic risk variants modify the association of intrauterine diabetes exposure with childhood BMI z-scores, we assessed the interaction between 95 BMI-associated genetic variants and in utero exposure to maternal diabetes among 459 children in the Exploring Perinatal Outcomes among Children historical prospective cohort study (n = 86 exposed; 373 unexposed) in relation to age- and sex-standardized childhood BMI z-scores (mean age = 10.3 years, standard deviation = 1.5 years). For the genetic variants showing a nominally significant interaction, we assessed the relationship in an additional 621 children in Project Viva, which is an independent longitudinal cohort study, and used meta-analysis to combine the results for the two studies. Seven of the ninety-five genetic variants tested exhibited a nominally significant interaction with in utero exposure to maternal diabetes in relation to the offspring BMI z-score in EPOCH. Five of the seven variants exhibited a consistent direction of interaction effect across both EPOCH and Project Viva. While none achieved statistical significance in the meta-analysis after accounting for multiple testing, three variants exhibited a nominally significant interaction with in utero exposure to maternal diabetes in relation to offspring BMI z-score: rs10733682 near LMX1B (interaction β = 0.39; standard error (SE) = 0.17), rs17001654 near SCARB2 (β = 0.53; SE = 0.22), and rs16951275 near MAP2K5 (β = 0.37; SE = 0.17). BMI-associated genetic variants may enhance the association between exposure to in utero diabetes and higher childhood BMI, but larger studies of in utero exposures are necessary to confirm the observed nominally significant relationships.

Genetic Variations and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL): A Genome-Wide Study Approach

Simple Summary

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is associated with cancer prognosis as well as with age, sex, race, and lifestyle factors, including diet and physical activity. To investigate the hypothesis that HRQOL has genetic underpinnings in patients with cancer, we performed a genome-wide association study to evaluate genetic variants (single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) associated with mental and physical QOL as measured by the PROMIS assessment tool in breast cancer survivors participating in a longitudinal cohort study, the Mayo Clinic Breast Disease Registry (MCBDR). Age and financial concerns were associated with worse physical and mental health, and previous receipt of chemotherapy was associated with worse mental health. SNPs in SCN10A, LMX1B, SGCD, PARP12, and SEMA5A were associated with physical and mental QOL, but none at the genome-wide significance thresholds of p < 5 × 10⁻⁸.

Abstract

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important prognostic patient-reported outcome in oncology. Because prior studies suggest that HRQOL is, in part, heritable, we performed a GWAS to elucidate genetic factors associated with HRQOL in breast cancer survivors. Physical and mental HRQOL were measured via paper surveys that included the PROMIS-10 physical and mental health domain scales in 1442 breast cancer survivors participating in the Mayo Clinic Breast Disease Registry (MCBDR). In multivariable regression analyses, age and financial concerns were significantly associated with global physical health (age: p = 1.6 × 10⁻²³; financial concerns: p = 4.8 × 10⁻⁴⁰) and mental health (age: p = 3.5 × 10⁻⁷; financial concerns: p = 2.0 × 10⁻⁶⁹⁾. Chemotherapy was associated with worse global mental health (p = 0.01). In the GWAS, none of the SNPs reached the genome-wide association significance threshold of 5 × 10⁻⁸ for associations with either global physical or global mental health, however, a cluster of SNPs in SCN10A, particularly rs112718371, appeared to be linked to worse global physical health (p = 5.21 × 10⁻⁸). Additionally, SNPs in LMX1B, SGCD, PARP12 and SEMA5A were also moderately associated with worse physical and mental health (p < 10⁻⁶). These biologically plausible candidate SNPs warrant further study as possible predictors of HRQOL.