Abstract
Body mass index (BMI) is a non-invasive measurement of obesity. It is commonly used for assessing adiposity and obesity-related risk prediction. Genetic differences between ethnic groups are important factors, which contribute to the variation in phenotypic effects. India inhabited by the first out-of-Africa human population and the contemporary Indian populations are admixture of two ancestral populations; ancestral north Indians (ANI) and ancestral south Indians (ASI). Although ANI are related to Europeans, ASI are not related to any group outside Indian-subcontinent. Hence, we expect novel genetic loci associated with BMI. In association analysis, we found eight genic SNPs in extreme of distribution (P⩽3.75 × 10−5), of which WWOX has already been reported to be associated with obesity-related traits hence excluded from further study. Interestingly, we observed rs1526538, an intronic SNP of THSD7A; a novel gene significantly associated with obesity (P=2.88 × 10−5, 8.922 × 10−6 and 2.504 × 10−9 in discovery, replication and combined stages, respectively). THSD7A is neural N-glycoprotein, which promotes angiogenesis and it is well known that angiogenesis modulates obesity, adipose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, hence our result find a correlation. This information can be used for drug target, early diagnosis of obesity and treatment.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India; Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India (PRNSA/ADV/AYURVEDA/4/2007). KT was also supported by CSIR Network project—GENESIS (BSC0121), Government of India. We acknowledge the help of Dr Ketaki Bapat for her constant support throughout the project tenure.
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Nizamuddin, S., Govindaraj, P., Saxena, S. et al. A novel gene THSD7A is associated with obesity. Int J Obes 39, 1662–1665 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2015.144
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2015.144
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