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Genetic variant of AMD1 is associated with obesity in urban Indian children

Rubina Tabassum1, Alok Jaiswal, Ganesh Chauhan

  • 1Genomics and Molecular Medicine Unit, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi, India.

Plos One
|April 13, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Genetic variants in the AMD1 gene are linked to childhood obesity and leptin levels. This study suggests a potential early-life marker for metabolic disorders, warranting further investigation into its functional role.

Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Metabolic Disorders
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Hyperhomocysteinemia is a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity.
  • Childhood obesity, marked by increased Body Mass Index (BMI), is an early indicator of chronic metabolic disorders.
  • Early-life homocysteine metabolism disruptions may link childhood obesity to adult metabolic diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between common genetic variants in homocysteine metabolism pathway genes and obesity in urban Indian children.
  • To explore the potential role of early-life genetic factors in the development of metabolic disorders.

Main Methods:

  • Genotyped 90 common variants from 18 genes in 3,168 urban Indian children across two stages.
  • Analyzed association between genetic variants and childhood obesity (normal-weight vs. overweight/obese).
  • Validated top genetic signals in an independent sample set and performed meta-analysis.

Main Results:

  • The AMD1 gene variant rs2796749 showed a significant association with childhood obesity after multiple testing correction (P=1.5×10⁻⁴).
  • This association was validated in a second stage (P=4.2×10⁻³) and confirmed by meta-analysis (P=1.9×10⁻⁶).
  • The rs2796749 variant was also associated with quantitative measures of adiposity and plasma leptin levels.

Conclusions:

  • This study provides the first evidence linking an AMD1 gene variant to childhood obesity and altered plasma leptin levels.
  • The findings suggest rs2796749 as a potential genetic marker for obesity and related metabolic traits in children.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the functional significance and underlying mechanisms of this association.
Abstract

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