Obesity phenotype in relation to gene polymorphism among samples of Egyptian children and their mothers

Abstract

Obesity is complex heterogeneous disease controlled by genes, environmental factors, and their interaction. Genetic factors account for 40–90% of the body mass index variations. Body mass index (BMI) of children correlates more closely with maternal than paternal BMI. So, this studu was aimed to investigate the role of leptin receptor LEPR Gln223Arg, the uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2 G 866 A) and insulin receptor gene (INSR exon 17) polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of obesity. A cross-sectional study executed on 130 children and their obese mothers; classified into 2 groups according to their BMI. The 2 groups were evaluated regarding the anthropometry. Restriction fragment length analysis for LEPR Gln223Arg, UCP2 -866 G/A and INSR exon 17 polymorphisms were applied. It was reported that increased risk of obesity was found in LEPR AG + AA genotype and the A allele. Significant statistical difference was detected only in female children. Concerning UCP2, the AG followed by the GG genotype was the most frequent in all groups and the G allele was the mostly present in obese mothers and obese male children but with no statistical significance. There was difference in the INSR genotype and alleles between groups, but this difference was not statistically significant. This study concluded that the LEPR Gln223Arg, UCP2 G 866 A and INSR exon 17 polymorphisms are related to obesity in Egyptian population. Further researches on larger population are recommended to ascertain the implications of LEPR, UCP2 and INSR polymorphisms in obesity.

The review of the relationship between UCP2 and obesity: Focusing on inflammatory-obesity

“…Generally, UCP2 is expressed in the spleen, lung, intestine, skin, brain, ibroblasts, immune cells, kidney, pancreatic islets, skeletal muscle, heart, and adipose tissue [26,[35][36][37]. Under the basal condition, the turnover rate of UCP2 is around 3 days that is parallel to UCP1 and in different situations, in response to changes in nutrient supply, the turnover rate of UCP2 was different.…”

Effects of Leptin, Resistin, and <i>PPAR</i>-Gama Gene Variants on Obese Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome in the Turkish Population

“…Although Leptin receptor Gln223Arg polymorphism has not been associated with lipid parameters in obese or normal-weight persons before (22,23), some studies showed that it may increase the risk of obesity and/or obesity-related diseases in different populations (24)(25)(26). In obese children, no association was found between Leptin Gln223Arg polymorphism and obesity, leptin, insulin resistance, and metabolic abnormalities (27).…”

UCP2 gene polymorphisms in obesity and diabetes, and the role of UCP2 in cancer

“…Among various ethnicities, the UCP2 −866G/A polymorphism has been found to be associated with obesity . The GG genotype is associated with an increased risk of obesity among Egyptians and white Europeans . The haplotype containing the −866G allele is associated with childhood obesity in the UK .…”