New Insights Regarding Genetic Aspects of Childhood Obesity: A Minireview

Abstract

Introduction: Childhood obesity is occurring at alarming rates in both developed and developing countries. “Obesogenic” environmental factors must be associated with variants of different risk alleles to determine polygenic or common obesity, and their impact depends on different developmental stages.The interaction between obesogenic environment and genetic susceptibility results in the so-called polygenic forms of obesity. In contrast, monogenic and syndromic obesity are not influenced by environmental events. Therefore, this review aimed to underline the roles of some of the most studied genes in the development of monogenic and polygenic obesity in children.Results: Among the most common obesity related genes, we chose the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene, leptin gene and its receptor, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), the melanocortin 4 receptor gene (MC4R), Ectoenzyme nucleotide pyrophosphate phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1), and others, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) genes. The roles of these genes are complex and interdependent, being linked to different cornerstones in obesity development, such as appetite behavior, control of food intake and energy balance, insulin signaling, lipid and glucose metabolism, metabolic disorders, adipocyte differentiation, and so on.Conclusions: Genetic predisposition is mandatory, but not enough to trigger obesity.Dietary interventions and proper lifestyle changes can prevent obesity development in genetically predisposed children. Further studies are needed to identify the precise role of both genetic and obesogenic factors in the development of childhood obesity in order to design effective preventive methods.

<p>Association Metabolic Obesity Phenotypes with Cardiometabolic Index, Atherogenic Index of Plasma and Novel Anthropometric Indices: A Link of FTO-rs9939609 Polymorphism</p>

“…It has been demonstrated that genetic factors play a key role in the risk of becoming obese. 17 The genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for obesity detected strong association between the fat massand obesity-associated gene (FTO) with higher body mass index (BMI) and metabolically unhealthy state in individuals. 18,19 At FTO-rs9939609 SNP, carriers of risk genotype (AA) have a 2.02-fold higher risk for obesity and 1.17-fold higher risk for metabolic syndrome compared with non-risk genotype carriers.…”

The Association Between Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae, a Life-Threatening Condition in Small Children—A Case Report and a Review of the Literature

“…Our patient presented both productive cough and prolonged fever. Another well-documented fact is that primary infection commonly occurs in younger ages, whereas reinfection is a possibility in older children with the decrement of immunity or depending on genetic susceptibility (14,23). Primary infection is the most-likely possibility in our case based on both his small age and previously healthy status.…”

Polikistik Over Sendromu ve Obezite: FTO ve MC4R Gen Polimorfizmlerinin Rolü

“…Bulunan yeni gen keşifleri içerisinde farklı popülasyonlarda obezite ve yağ kütlesi ile ilişkili olduğu saptanan ilk ve en güçlü genin FTO proteini kodlayan gen olduğu öne sürülmektedir (16). Homo sapiens FTO geni 16. kromozomda 16q12.2 pozisyonunda yer almaktadır (18,19). İnsanda birçok organda ekspresyonu gerçekleşmekle birlikte FTO geni, iştah davranışı ve yağ asidi metabolizmasından sorumlu olan beynin hipotalamus, beyincik ve hipokampus bölgelerinde daha yoğun bulunmaktadır (20,21).…”