PMID- 11319665
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20011025
LR  - 20221207
VI  - 25
IP  - 4
DP  - 2001 Apr
TI  - Tumor necrosis factor-alpha--308 G/A polymorphism in obese Caucasians.
PG  - 581-5
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is expressed primarily in 
      adipocytes, and elevated levels of this cytokine have been linked to obesity and 
      insulin resistance. Recently, the A allele of a polymorphism in the 5'-flanking 
      region of the TNF-alpha gene (G-308A) has been reported to be more frequent in 
      obese than in lean subjects and has also been associated with increased 
      expression of this cytokine in fat tissue and influences fat mass and insulin 
      resistance. We, therefore, examined the relationship between this variant and 
      obesity in a German Caucasian population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We genotyped 176 
      index subjects recruited within the framework of the BErG (Berlin Ernahrung 
      Geschwister)- Study for the TNF-alpha-G-308A polymorphism. Subjects were 
      characterized for weight, height, waist and hip circumference, body mass index 
      (BMI), body composition, glucose tolerance, leptin and angiotensinogen levels. 
      RESULTS: The frequency of the -308A allele (0.18) was similar to that reported 
      previously and genotype distribution was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (GG, 
      n=118; GA, n=53; AA, n=5). There was a significant difference in allele 
      frequencies of the polymorphism by BMI quartiles (I,<27.3 kg/m2; II, 27.3-31.9 
      kg/m2; III, 31.9-36.5 kg/m2; IV,>36.5 kg/m2, in each quartile n=44) with -308A 
      allele carriers having a higher BMI than G allele carriers (P=0.013). Despite 
      previous smaller studies that have related insulin resistance to the G-308A 
      polymorphism, we found no relationship between glucose and insulin response 
      during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and the polymorphism. Furthermore, 
      none of the plasma parameters were related to the polymorphism. CONCLUSION: Our 
      findings support the hypothesis that the G-308A polymophism of the TNF-alpha gene 
      is associated with BMI. The G-308A polymorphism may, therefore, represent a 
      genetic marker for increased susceptibility for obesity in Caucasians.
FAU - Brand, E
AU  - Brand E
AD  - Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Nephrology, 
      Universitatsklinkum Benjamin Franklin, Freie Universitat Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
FAU - Schorr, U
AU  - Schorr U
FAU - Kunz, I
AU  - Kunz I
FAU - Kertmen, E
AU  - Kertmen E
FAU - Ringel, J
AU  - Ringel J
FAU - Distler, A
AU  - Distler A
FAU - Sharma, A M
AU  - Sharma AM
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - England
TA  - Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord
JT  - International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders : journal of the 
      International Association for the Study of Obesity
JID - 9313169
RN  - 0 (Genetic Markers)
RN  - 0 (Leptin)
RN  - 0 (Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha)
SB  - IM
MH  - Alleles
MH  - Body Composition
MH  - Female
MH  - Gene Frequency
MH  - Genetic Markers
MH  - Genotype
MH  - Glucose Tolerance Test
MH  - Humans
MH  - Insulin Resistance
MH  - Leptin
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Obesity/*genetics
MH  - *Polymorphism, Genetic
MH  - Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/*genetics
MH  - White People/*genetics
EDAT- 2001/04/25 10:00
MHDA- 2001/10/26 10:01
CRDT- 2001/04/25 10:00
PHST- 2000/03/20 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2000/10/02 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2000/11/14 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2001/04/25 10:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2001/10/26 10:01 [medline]
PHST- 2001/04/25 10:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1038/sj.ijo.0801576 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001 Apr;25(4):581-5. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0801576.