African Ancestry-Specific Variant Linked to Increased BMI, Obesity quoting : GENOME Web

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – An international team of researchers has homed in on a variant linked to increased obesity among people of African descent. The prevalence of obesity isn't constant across populations — in the US, African Americans have the highest rates of obesity. While lifestyle and culture affect people's risk of developing obesity, it is also thought to be highly heritable, with some estimates placing its heritability at 60 percent.




The newly identified gene variant overlaps a region of DNA called an "enhancer" that can be activated to increase the work of a particular gene, Rotimi said. By Robert Preidt, HealthDay Reporter(HealthDay)TUESDAY, March 14, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they've identified an Africa-specific gene variant associated with obesity. "Eventually, we hope to learn how to better prevent or treat obesity," Rotimi said. The team found that about 1 percent of West Africans, American blacks and others of African ancestry have this variant of the semaphorin-4D (SEMA4D) gene. Most genetic studies on obesity focus on people of European ancestry, even though people with African ancestry have a higher risk of obesity, the researchers said.

Study Identifies African-Specific Genomic Variant Associated with Obesity

Most of the genomic studies conducted on obesity to date have been in people of European ancestry, despite an increased risk of obesity in people of African ancestry. People with genomic differences in the semaphorin-4D (SEMA4D) gene were about six pounds heavier than those without the genomic variant, according to the study. Findings highlight the importance of genomic studies in diverse populations. This is the first study to use a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) to investigate the genomic basis of obesity in continental Africans, said Guanjie Chen, M.D., study co-lead and a CRGGH staff scientist. An international team of researchers has conducted the first study of its kind to look at the genomic underpinnings of obesity in continental Africans and African-Americans.



collected by :Lucy William

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