A genome scan among Nigerians linking resting energy expenditure to chromosome 16

Energy requirements at rest account for 50% to 75% of total energy expenditure. Interindividual variation in resting energy expenditure (REE) has been studied for potential links to obesity and hypertension. REE is a modestly heritable trait, and yet virtually nothing is known about the genetic factors that might influence the familial patterns. The objectives of this study were to identify the genomic regions showing genetic linkage to REE variation in a Nigerian population. For linkage analysis across the genome, three hundred seventy-seven microsatellite markers were typed on DNA from 995 individuals in 153 families. A genome scan was performed using a multipoint variance component method. Heritability of REE was 0.30 after adjustment for body size. The strongest linkage signal was detected on chromosome 16 (16q22.3) with a likelihood of odds of 2.96 (p = 0.08). Linkage evidence (likelihood of odds > 1) was detected on another three chromosomal regions, namely 2q12.1, 8q21.2, and 15p11.2.