Association of TMEM18-variants with BMI and waist circumference in children and correlation of mRNA expression in the PFC with body weight in rats
Résumé
Genome Wide Association (GWA) studies have shown a strong association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the near vicinity of the TMEM18 gene. The effects of the TMEM18 associated variants are more readily observed in children. TMEM18 encodes a 3TM protein which locates to the nuclear membrane. The functional context of TMEM18 and the effects of its associated variants are as of yet undetermined. To further explore the effects of near TMEM18 variants, we have genotyped two TMEM18 associated SNPs, rs6548238 and rs4854344, in a cohort of 2352 Greek children (Healthy Growth Study). Included in this study is data on anthropomorphic traits body weight, BMI z-score, waist circumference and sum of skin folds. Also included is dietary energy and macronutrient intake as measured via 24-h recall interviews. Rs6548238 and rs4854344 were significantly associated to a higher risk of developing obesity (OR=1.495 (1.164 - 1.923) and 1.502 (1.168 - 1.927) respectively) and positively correlated to body weight (p=0.017, p=0.010) and waist circumference (p=0.003, p=0.003). An association to energy and macronutrient intake was not observed in this cohort. We also correlated food intake and body weight in a food choice model in rats, to Tmem18 expression in central regions involved in feeding behavior. We observed a strong positive correlation between TMEM18 expression and body weight in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) (r= 0.5694, p=0.0003) indicating a potential role for TMEM18 in higher functions related to feeding involving the PFC.
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