MIM
B] OVERGROWTH SYNDROMES | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NAME | GENE | Phenotype MIM | Gene/Locus MIM | CLINICAL FEATURES | MODE of INHERITANCE | CHROMOSOMAL POSITION | GENETIC DEFECT |
Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome | 153480 | 601728 | Macrocephaly, pseudopapilledema, multiple hemangioma, lipomats | AD | 10q23.31 | MS, NS, SS, del | |
Beckwith-Weidemann syndrome | 130650 | various | Macrosomia, macroglossia, cleft palate, visceromegaly, earlobe creases, neonatal hypoglycemia, embryonal tumors, hemihypertorphy | AD | 11p15.5 | del, MS | |
Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome | 14900 | - | Large cutanoeus hemangioma with hypertrophy of the related bones and soft tissues | - | 8q22.3 | ||
Parkes Weber syndrome | 608355 | 139150 | multiple arteriovenous malformations under the skin, skeletal hypertorhphy | - | 5q13.3 | MS, FS, NS, del | |
Proteus syndrome | 176920 | 164730 | asymmetric and disproprotionate overgrowth of one or more body regions, vascular malformations, nevi and abnormal adipose tissue | mosaicism | 14q23.31 | ||
Silver-Russell syndrome | 180860 | - | Triangular face with broad forehead and pointed, small chin with a wide mouth, growth retardation (short stature, IUGR), hemihyperplasia | - | 7p11.2 | ||
Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome | 312870 | 300037 | Pre- and post-natal overgrowth, coarse facies, heart defects, other congenital anomalies | XLR | Xq26.2 | MS, SS, NS | |
Sotos syndrome | 117550 | 606681 | macrocephaly, overgrowth, developmental delay, advanced bone age, hypotonia, hyperreflexia, motor delay, large hands and feet, may be associated with tumors | AD | 5q35 | NS, FS, del | |
Weaver syndrome | 277590 | 601573 | macrocephaly, mild hypertonia, advanced bone age, frontal bossing, broad thumb, contractures of elbows, learning difficulty, limb anomalies | AD | 7q36.1 | NS, MS, del |
C] GENETICALLY NON-ELUCIDATED SYNDROMES | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NAME | GENE | Phenotype MIM | Gene/Locus MIM | CLINICAL FEATURES | MODE of INHERITANCE | CHROMOSOMAL POSITION | GENETIC DEFECT |
Camera-Marugo-Cohen Syndrome | - | 604257 | - | Obesity, short stature, mental deficiency, hypogonadism, micropenis, contractures of the fingers, cleft lip-palate | - | - | - |
Clark-Baraitser Syndrome | - | 300602 | Macrocephaly, mental retardation, ‘square’ forehead, prominent features, tall stature, large ears, obesity and macroorchidism | - | - | - | |
MEHMO syndrome | - | 300148 | - | Mental retardation, epileptic seizures, hypogonadism, microcephaly and obesity | ?Mitochondrial | Xp22.13-p21.1 | - |
MOMES syndrome | - | 606772 | - | Mental retardation, obesity, blepharophimosis, astigmatism, maxillary hypoplasia, mandibular prognathism | ?AR | - | - |
MOMO syndrome | - | 157980 | Macrosomia, Obesity, Macrocephaly, Ocular abnormalities | - | - | - | |
Morgagni-Stewart-Morel Syndrome | - | 144800 | - | Hyperostosis frontalis interna, Galactorrhea, Hyperprolactinemia, diabetes mellitus, hyperphosphatasia, obesity, hypertrichosis | ?AD | - | - |
1p36 deletion syndrome | - | 607872 | - | Hypotonia, developmental delay, growth abnormalities, obesity and craniofacial dysmorphism | - | 1p36 | del |
2p25.3 deletion syndrome | 616521 | - | Intellectual disability, Obesity, Behavioral problems, Sleep disturbances | AD | 2p25.3 | del |
AD = Autosomal dominant, AR= Autosomal recessive, XLR= X-linked recessive, MS = missense mutation, NS = nonsense, SS = splice site, LOF= loss of function, del = deletion, dup = duplication.
For complete description and references, refer to Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man: omim.org using the MIM numbers. Additional info at Gene Reviews: Pagon RA, Adam MP, Ardinger HH, et al., editors. GeneReviews ® [Internet]. Seattle (WA): University of Washington, Seattle; 1993–2017. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1116/
With the high prevalence of obesity in the modern society, it is imperative that the astute clinician is educated about the indications for genetic testing. For children with severe early onset obesity (BMI > 120% of 95 th percentile of CDC 2000 for age), it is useful to enquire for history suggestive of hyperphagia, endocrinological co-morbidities, and a detailed pedigree including history of consanguinity. Assortative mating can confound family history, and identification of patterns indicative of autosomal dominant, or de novo inheritance is helpful. Individuals with neurodevelopmental and cognitive difficulties may lead to a consideration of tests such as high-resolution karyotype, methylation studies of chromosome 15, or comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) array for chromosomal defects. Based on presence of other features suggestive of syndromic obesity (see Table 2 ), or other characteristic findings such as prolonged diarrhea ( PCSK1 ), or hypoglycemia and orange hair ( POMC ) single gene or panels such as the BBS panel may be considered. Candidate gene panels for genetic obesity ( LEP, LEPR, POMC, PCSK1 ) are available in some laboratories and may be considered on a case-by-case basis (see: Genetic Testing Registry. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gtr/ ).
Assessment of leptin level is useful if there is a consideration of LEP deficiency. As leptin levels are generally elevated with adiposity, it is more difficult to ascertain LEPR deficiency by measurement of leptin levels. If an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance is established for children with severe early onset obesity, MC4R sequencing (1 exon) is widely available. A number of research efforts for rare genetic variants for children with severe early onset obesity are ongoing ( www.clinicaltrials.gov ). It is important to provide basic counseling prior to genetic testing. Should this be a barrier, a referral to a skilled specialist is suggested.
The characterization of the etiology of a monogenic or syndromic cause of obesity often ends a diagnostic odyssey for the etiology of the clinical condition. Additionally, the promise of targeted treatment in the rapidly progressive field of personalized medicine provides hope for the families struggling with management of obesity and associated comorbidities in children.
For most of the genetic causes of obesity, management of nutrition and physical activity remains the first line of therapy. Children with genetic causes of obesity, such as MC4R and LEPR mutations have been maintained at lower levels of adiposity with long-term restriction of caloric intake (Lennerz B, Personal Communication). In children with PWS, the nutritional guidelines change with the phases of eating patterns over time. In the hyperphagia phase, weight maintenance has been documented with intakes of 7 kcal/cm of height/day, and sample calorie guidelines have been published by Prader Willi Syndrome Association. 84 There are no systematic prospective studies on the use of these guidelines, and treatment needs to be individualized for each child. Although studies have proposed use of ketogenic and other limited diets 85 , the current guidelines continue to recommend a balanced calorie reduction with maintenance of the usual macronutrient proportions (60% carbohydrate, 15% protein and 25% fat), with emphasis on low glycemic index and slow-release carbohydrates. 84
Medications such as injectable recombinant leptin for treatment of leptin deficiency 29 , or biologically inactive leptin 27 present a rare, but valuable opportunity for treatment. A promising new therapy for POMC deficiency is Setmelanotide, an eight-amino-acid cyclic peptide (RM-493) melanocortin-4 –receptor agonist without the side-effects of hypertension and increased erectile dysfunction 42 . Kuhnen et al report the short-term use of setmelanotide in 2 adult females with POMC deficiency, 21- and 24-years old with baseline BMI of 49.8 kg/m2 (SDS 4.52) and 54.1 kg/m2 (SDS 4.78). Both the patients received treatment for 12 weeks with decrease in weight from 20–26 kg (decrease of 13.4–16.6%), and a marked improvement in satiety and quality of life (clinicaltrials.gov, {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT02896192","term_id":"NCT02896192"}} NCT02896192 , http://geneticobesity.com/ ). 42 This therapy also appears to offer promise in animal models for PWS. 86 Another drug, Beloranib, a Methionine Peptidase 2 (MetAP2 ) inhibitor, that influences fat metabolism, synthesis and storage, was found to reduce hunger and restored balance to the production/utilization of fat is in early clinical trials. 87 Nasal oxytocin has been tried for therapy in PWS based on the finding of decreased oxytocin neurons in an attempt to improve behavioral and adiposity phenotype. 88 – 90 A number of other MC4R receptor agonists are in preclinical and early clinical trials. 50 Pharmacological chaperones that increase the expression of the cell surface expression of MC4R is a promising approach. 91 , 92 An important consideration for neuropeptides used in the treatment of genetic forms of obesity is an acceptable route of administration that will provide sufficient central nervous system penetrance for its action on the centers for weight regulation.
Bariatric surgery is increasingly being used as the effective treatment of severe obesity with or without concomitant co-morbidities in adolescents 93 and adults 94 . Soper et al reported the use of bariatric surgery as a treatment of morbid obesity in 7 adolescents with PWS and 18 genetically normal young adults. The individuals with PWS reached a plateau of weight loss faster, and 3 individuals required revision surgeries to improve weight loss. 95 Forty years later, the debate on the use of bariatric surgery for the treatment of genetic and syndromic forms of obesity continues. In a retrospective review of 60 subjects with PWS undergoing bariatric surgery, Scheiman et al reported a myriad of serious complications such as wound infection, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, splenectomy with the surgery, weight rebound and poor response to surgery with some requiring revision and death in 2 subjects. 96 The surgical techniques used in this report from 2008 have evolved over time. Two recent reports, one from Saudi Arabia (n = 24) 97 and another from China (n = 3) 98 have reported successful use of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in individuals with PWS. Alqahtani et al performed a case-control (1:3) study of 24 subjects with PWS (mean age 10.9 years, mean BMI 46.2 kg/m2; 66.7% with ≥ 3 comorbidities). They reported a 22.2 (±14.6) % reduction in BMI in cases with PWS compared with 37.9 (±12.1)% in controls (p = 0.05). There was no statistical difference in % excess weight loss in the cases as compared to non-genetic obese controls till 3 years of follow-up with some rebound noted in the cases at 5-years of follow-up. The families reported an improvement in hyperphagia and food-seeking behavior that has largely been attributed to a reduction in the levels of ghrelin after the surgery as noted in the report from China. 98 The same group has previously published favorable reports in subjects with PWS, BBS and ALMS1 syndrome 99 with mixed response from surgeons in the US 100 and France. 101 Regardless of the debate, the need for multi-disciplinary pre- and post-operative care of individuals with syndromic obesity or intellectual disability with careful follow-up is advocated 102 , and the need for large scale systematic studies for long-term outcomes remains.
While genetic perturbations play an important role in determining individual susceptibility to obesity, the role of environment, and gene-environment interactions remains; leading to a growing interest in the role of epigenetics in the development of obesity and obesity-related comorbidities. This offers a logical explanation for the growing epidemic of obesity over the past few decades without a radical change in the genome. In multicellular organisms like humans, the genetic code is homogenous throughout the body, but the expression of the code can vary in the different cell types. Epigenetics is the study of heritable regulatory changes in the genetic expression without alterations in the nucleotide sequence. 103 Epigenetic modifications can be considered as the differential packaging of the DNA that either allows or silences the expression of the certain genes across tissues. Environmental and dietary factors or gut microbiota, can influence the epigenetic programming of parental gametes, fetus and early postnatal development, or through the various periods of life to influence epigenetic programming. 104
The currently known epigenetic mechanisms include DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNA-mediated regulation, which can be passed on mitotically (through cell division) or meiotically (transgenerational inheritance).
In DNA methylation, a methyl group can be added to a cytosine with a guanine as the next nucleotide (CpG site) by DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs). These CpG sites are frequently found in the promoter regions of the genes, and a methyl group addition acts as a steric obstacle for the joining of the transcription factors and the expression of the gene: usually hypermethylation is associated with transcriptional repression, and hypomethylation with activation. 103 Candidate gene methylation changes have been implicated in obesity, appetite control and metabolism, insulin signaling, immunity, inflammation, growth, and circadian clock regulation. 104 In a genome wide study of the CpG methylation sites of 479 adults of European origin, an increased methylation at the HIF3A (hypoxia-inducible factor 3a) locus was reported in the blood and adipose tissue. 105 Similar associations were also seen in early life where higher methylation at the same sites were associated with greater infant weight and adiposity. 106 As hypoxia response has been reported during obesity, this finding provides direct evidence that perturbation of the HIF signaling plays an important role in the obesity, metabolism and downstream adverse responses to obesity. 105 Similarly, both the LEP and POMC genes, prominent in the weight regulation pathway have CpG islands, where methylation can affect their expression. In a study of methylation at the LEP gene in the maternal, placental and cord blood samples, Lesseur et al found increased maternal blood methylation with pre-pregnancy obesity, cord blood methylation with SGA infants and pre-pregnancy smoking and a good correlation of maternal blood LEP DNA methylation with infant blood methylation. 107 Similarly, increased LEP methylation was observed in men born after prenatal exposure to wartime (Dutch) famine in 1944–45 compared to their unexposed same-sex siblings. 108 Some other genes investigated in the context of obesity and metabolism include ADIPOQ (adiponectin), PGC1α (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor coactivator 1 α), IGF-2 (insulin-like growth factor 2), IRS-1 (insulin receptor substrate 1), and LY86 (lymphocyte antigen 86). 104 Epigenetic markers have also been used as predictor(s) for long-term weight loss (or regain). In a study of 18 men who underwent ≥ 5% weight loss after an 8-week nutritional intervention, Crujeiras et al report higher pre-intervention methylation levels of POMC , and lower NPY methylation in the individuals who maintained weight loss. 109 POMC methylation is also being investigated as an early predictor of metabolic syndrome. 110 DNA methylation studies remain an active area of investigation in both animals and humans that will continue to guide our understanding on the effects of genes, environment and their interaction.
Histones are proteins responsible for DNA packaging, made up of a globular domain and an N-terminal tail domain. The highly basic N-terminal tails protrude from the nucleosome and are exposed to covalent reactions such as methylation, acetylation, ubiquitination and phosphorylation. Depending on the combination of these covalent reactions, the DNA will be accessible for translation, repair, replication and recombination. 111 Histone modifications are involved in the epigenetic regulation of adipogenesis and can play an important role in obesity development. Modulation of five key regulatory genes of adipogenesis, pre-adipocyte factor-1 (Pref-1), CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBP β), C/EBPα, PPARγ, and adipocyte protein 2 (aP2), is regulated by histone modifications during adipocyte differentiation. 112 The histone deacetylase (HDAC) family of proteins plays an important role in the regulation of gene transcription in response to stress and energy metabolism. A study of the chromatin expression profile of the liver cells in animals fed high fat diet compared to those fed control diet showed chromatin remodeling by HDAC resulting in changes in expression profile of hepatic transcription factors HNFα, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (CEBP/α), and FOXA1. 113 They also demonstrated that these changes are irreversible, when the animals revert to the normal diet in one species, while being transient in another emphasizing the variable expressivity of modifications in a framework of different genetic background. 114 A differential expression of the HDAC proteins in also seen in the hypothalamus in the fasting/fed states and high-fat diet-induced obesity. 115
Micro-RNAs (miRNA) are short noncoding RNA sequences 18 to 25 nucleotides long capable of regulating gene expressions by gene silencing and post-transcriptional changes. 116 miRNA play an important role in various biological processes, including proliferation and differentiation of adipocytes, and have been shown to be associated with insulin resistance and low-grade inflammation seen in obese individuals. 117 A significant association with increased levels of certain miRNA (miR-486-5p, miR-486-3p, miR-142-3p, miR-130 b, and miR-423-5p) was seen with BMI in children with obesity, with a significant change in the profile of 10 miRNAs with weight change. 118 Zhao et al identified miRNA as a signature for weight gain and showed that the individuals with a high-risk score for 8 of these miRNAs had over 3-fold higher odds of weight gain. 119 Changes in adipocyte-derived exosomal miRNAs is also seen following weight loss and decrease in insulin resistance after gastric bypass. 120 All the emerging evidence lends support to the important role of miRNA in obesity and the associated metabolic changes that can serve as biomarkers, or potentially therapeutic targets for intervention.
The intrauterine environment plays a crucial role in the development of the fetus and has been shown to play a role in the long-term epigenetic programming that may be transmitted to the progeny. Epidemiological studies of two large cohorts exposed in utero to serious nutritional deficits during the Second World War, who later lived in contrasting conditions, returning to normal nutrition in the case of the Dutch cohort exposed to the “Dutch Famine” 121 , and conversely, persisting conditions of poor nutrition in case of children who survived the dramatic siege of Leningrad 122 , 123 , have provided clues to the role of epigenetics. The Dutch cohort exposed to enriched nutritional conditions showed less DNA methylation of the imprinted IGF2 gene compared to their same sex siblings. They also had a higher incidence of chronic metabolic disease compared to the Russian cohort that continued to live in deprived condition supporting the theory of fetal programming . Animal studies have provided further evidence to support this theory. Mice born to undernourished mothers and postnatally exposed to high fat diet have shown adverse cardiometabolic profile. 124 Besides undernutrition, presence of maternal obesity or metabolic dysfunction also predisposes infants to obesity. There is also evidence that this programming may be transgenerational that continues even after the environmental influence is eliminated, thus propagating the cycle of obesity and metabolic syndrome. 125
In the context of epigenetic changes, it is important to review the role of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs termed “obesogens”) on the effects on adipose tissue biology, the hormonal milieu and the influence on the homeostatic mechanisms of weight regulation. Epidemiological studies have provided evidence for the presence of obesity and metabolic changes in offspring of mothers exposed to EDCs likely mediated by epigenetic changes. Offspring of pregnant animals exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during gestation have increased weight, fata mass, as well as higher gene expression of PPARγ, C/EBP α, Cox2, FAS and adiponectin and lower DNA methylation of PPAR γ that extended through the grand-offspring mice. 126 Genomewide epigenetic study in the adult mice born following perinatal exposure to bisphenol A at human physiologically relevant disease, showed an enrichment of significant differentially methylated regions in metabolic pathways among females. DNA methylation as a mediator for the metabolic phenotype was identified in Janus kinase-2 ( Jak-2 ), retinoid X receptor ( Rxr ), regulatory factor x-associated protein ( Rfxap ), and transmembrane protein 238 ( Tmem 238 ). 127 A comprehensive review of the effects of EDCs is outside the scope of this review, but suffice to say that there is convincing evidence from human and animal studies of epigenetic mechanisms in the effects of EDCs on childhood obesity and metabolic dysfunction.
Genetic factors and the environmental factors that influence the expression of these genes play a large role in the development of obesity in children, adolescents and young adults. Thoughtful consideration of genetic causes and an understanding of the growing evidence of the epigenetic changes that influence the burgeoning epidemic of obesity provide valuable tools for the clinician in the management of obesity.
Funding Source: This work was supported in part by the NIH NIDDK grant K23DK110539-02, ADA 1-16-PDF-113, and NIH P30 DK040561 to VVT.
Financial Disclosure: The author has no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.
Conflict of Interest: The author has no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.
Lilly’s newly opened Seaport Center in Boston
Courtesy of Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly on Tuesday debuted in America’s biggest biotech hub—Boston—with a new facility dedicated to the research and development of cutting-edge genetic therapies.
Dubbed the Lilly Seaport Innovation Center (LSC), the new site will expand the pharma’s U.S. footprint by 346,000 square feet and will be able to house 500 scientists and researchers. The LSC can also accommodate 200 staff from within the innovation hub Lilly Gateway Labs, which the pharma uses to connect earlier stage biotechs with its platforms and expertise.
The LSC will work on advancing RNA- and DNA-based therapies while also allotting some its resources to discovering new drug targets for Lilly’s priority disease areas, such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases. The pharma will also leverage the LSC for R&D in neurodegeneration and chronic pain.
Daniel Skovronsky, chief scientific officer and president of Lilly Research Laboratories, in a statement said that the opening of the LSC will allow the pharma to collaborate “with leading institutions and new talent to continue delivering transformative medicines for the people who need them the most.”
With the LSC’s opening, Lilly brings the obesity competition closer to its chief rival Novo Nordisk, which in February 2024 opened an R&D site in the Boston area, according to the Boston Business Journal . The pharma first announced this expansion in March 2023, revealing at the time that the site will similarly focus on genetic therapies.
Lilly has steadily been gaining ground on Novo in the weight-loss drug race. In the second quarter of 2024, Lilly’s product sales impressed investors by easily beating consensus forecasts. Meanwhile, investors found Novo’s performance disappointing in Q2, with its shares dropping more than 7% shortly after the pharma released its earnings report.
Supply headwinds can partly account for this disparity, with Lilly clearing up the U.S. shortages for all doses of type 2 diabetes medication Mounjaro and weight-loss drug Zepbound. By contrast, while Novo has made progress on stabilizing its supply, one dose of Wegovy still has limited availability .
On the efficacy front, Lilly appears to have Novo beat as well. Last month, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that Mounjaro could elicit 2.4% greater weight-loss than Novo’s Ozempic—and this gap widened even further through six and 12 months of treatment.
The rivals are continuing to compare their incretin therapies against each other. Lilly is currently conducting the Phase IIIb SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head study in overweight or obese adults without type 2 diabetes. Results from this trial are expected in November 2024. Meanwhile, Novo is looking to challenge Zepbound with its next-generation therapy CagriSema with a Phase III study that is expected to wrap up in the second half of 2025.
IMAGES
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This review highlights current research and its challenges in genetics and epigenetics of obesity. Recent Findings Recent progress in genetics of polygenic traits, particularly represented by genome-wide association studies, led to the discovery of hundreds of genetic variants associated with obesity, which allows constructing polygenic risk ...
Polygenic (or common) obesity and rare, severe, early-onset monogenic obesity are often polarized as distinct diseases. However, gene discovery studies for both forms of obesity show that they ...
The genetics of obesity could be classified into syndromic and non-syndromic obesity with or without congenital defects and developmental delay. For example, ... Another study conducted by the Fragile X Clinical and Research Consortium reported that patients with FXS had higher weights than in the general population .
Timeline of key discoveries in obesity genetics. ... Although no standard genetic testing panel is currently available for extreme and early-onset obesity, some clinics, research centres and pharmaceutical companies sequence well-known candidate genes to identify the functional mutation that may be the cause of a patient's excess body weight ...
Obesity-promoting alleles exert minimal effects in normal weight individuals but have larger effects in individuals with a proneness to obesity, suggesting a higher penetrance; however, it is not known whether these larger effect sizes precede obesity or are caused by an obese state.
Although research into the genetics of common obesity was catalysed by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the stage was set by genetic studies in monogenic obesity, which highlighted the leptin-melanocortin pathway as a key regulator of energy intake. 3. Yeo GS ;
Previous research has investigated the genetic regulation of blood pressure regulatory genes using post-GWAS data , but similar investigations for obesity remain limited.
In the early phase of obesity genetic research, the emphasis was on candidate genes of obesity (See Rankinen et al. for a review) (). A literature search identified 547 candidate genes derived from multiple types of studies, and the contribution of SNPs located in ±10 kb flanking sequences around these genes was investigated (). It was ...
The Biology and Genetics of Obesity — A Century of Inquiries. Author: Chin Jou, Ph.D. Author Info & Affiliations. Published May 15, 2014. N Engl J Med 2014;370: 1874 - 1877.
OBESITY AND OUR GENES. O'Rourke's new research helps shed light on the complex intersections of obesity, diet and our DNA. Obesity has become an epidemic, driven in large part by high-calorie ...
Now, scientists might know one reason why. In one of the most comprehensive studies of the genetics of obesity to date, a research team has identified rare gene variants that protect lucky carriers from putting on weight. The work is "a tour de force of genetics," says Sadaf Farooqi, an obesity researcher at the University of Cambridge who was ...
Research into genetic factors and potential treatments is still underway, but Scherer said the current best approach to medical treatment of obesity is GLP-1 medications.
Understanding of the genetic influences on obesity has increased at a tremendous rate in recent years. By some estimates, 40 to 70 percent of the variation in obesity-related phenotypes in humans is heritable. Although several single-gene mutations have been shown to cause obesity in animal models, the situation in humans is considerably more ...
SMIM1 was only identified 10 years ago, whilst searching for the gene encoding a specific blood group, known as Vel. One in 5,000 people lack both copies of the gene, making them Vel-negative. The ...
Obesity is closely linked to genetics and environmental factors. The newest studies in the field of epigenetics further our understanding of the effect of the environment on genetics. This article describes the genetic causes of obesity, including syndromic, monogenic, and polygenic causes, and cites specific examples of epigenetic ...
The gene that encodes PTER is part of a panel of genes that have been associated with body mass index in humans. Mutations in one, MC4R, cause people to feel hungry all the time and are strongly associated with obesity. But many of the others, including PTER, have remained mysterious.
New research conducted by the Medical Research Council (MRC) has identified genetic variants in two genes that have some of the largest impacts on obesity risk discovered to date. The discovery of rare variants in the genes BSN and APBA1 are some of the first obesity-related genes identified for which the increased risk of obesity is not ...
The candidate gene approach was first applied in the mid-1990s and aimed to validate genes identified through human and animal models of extreme obesity for a role in common obesity (fig. 3 ...
Furthermore, our differential gene expression analysis reveals distinct contributions of adipocyte subpopulations to the overall pathophysiology of adipose tissue. Our study establishes a robust snRNA-seq method, providing novel insights into the biological processes involved in adipose tissue remodeling during obesity, with broader ...
A large-scale genetic sequencing study reveals a potential new therapeutic target in obesity. Obesity accounts for a major burden of disease globally, and has a heritable component. However ...
A new biochemical pathway linked to diet and body weight hints at the possibility of a new class of anti-obesity drugs, Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues have found. Topics Week's top
Obesity is a complex multifactorial disorder with genetic and environmental factors. There is an increase in the worldwide prevalence of obesity in both developed and developing countries. The development of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) has increased the discovery of genetic associations and awareness of monogenic and polygenic causes of obesity.
Maintaining a healthy bodyweight is all about balancing the calories we eat with the amount that we burn as energy, but new research has found a new genetic cause of obesity. Those with a genetic ...
A recent study published in Cell Host & Microbe identifies a potential obesity-linked bacterium, Megamonas, from a large-scale cohort of obese individuals in China.This research suggests potential ...
Research shows our bodies go through rapid changes in our 40s and our 60s. ... a professor of genetics and director of the Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine at Stanford Medicine. For ...
When it comes to cancer prevention, scientists are finding the link between obesity in cancer is complex and intertwined; the obesity-related cancers are heavily concentrated among organs involved ...
Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new discoveries to solve some of the world's most significant health challenges: redefining diabetes care; treating obesity and curtailing its most devastating long-term effects; advancing the fight against Alzheimer's disease; providing ...
Abstract. Obesity is a complex, heritable trait influenced by the interplay of genetics, epigenetics, metagenomics and the environment. With the increasing access to high precision diagnostic tools for genetic investigations, numerous genes influencing the phenotype have been identified, especially in early onset severe obesity.
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Eli Lilly on Tuesday debuted in America's biggest biotech hub—Boston—with a new facility dedicated to the research and development of cutting-edge genetic therapies.. Dubbed the Lilly Seaport Innovation Center (LSC), the new site will expand the pharma's U.S. footprint by 346,000 square feet and will be able to house 500 scientists and researchers.