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Association of a low density lipoprotein receptor microsatellite variant with obesity
S Rutherford1, D R Nyholt, R P Curtain
1Genomics Research Centre, School of Health Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
Objective:
To determine whether a microsatellite polymorphism located towards the 3' end of the low density lipoprotein receptor gene (LDLR) is associated with obesity.
Design:
A cross-sectional case-control study.
Subjects:
One hundred and seven obese individuals, defined as a body mass index (BMI) > or = 26 kg/m2, and 163 lean individuals, defined as a BMI < 26 kg/m2.
Measurements:
BMI, blood pressure, serum lipids, alleles of LDLR microsatellite (106 bp, 108 bp and 112 bp).
Results:
There was a significant association between variants of the LDLR microsatellite and obesity, in the overall tested population, due to a contributing effect in females (chi 2 = 12.3, P = 0.002), but not in males (chi 2 = 0.3, P = 0.87). In females, individuals with the 106 bp allele were more likely to be lean, while individuals with the 112 bp and/or 108 bp alleles tended to be obese.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that in females, LDLR may play a role in the development of obesity.