Association of UCP1 -3826A/G and UCP3 -55C/T gene polymorphisms with obesity and its related traits among multi-ethnic Malaysians.

OBJECTIVE: Our study investigated the association of UCP1 -3826A/G and UCP3 -55C/T single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with obesity and its related traits among multi-ethnic Malaysians. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 447 (225 males; 46 Malays, 339 ethnic Chinese, 62 ethnic Indians; 111 obese) participated. METHODS: Demographic and anthropometric data were collected, and genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS: The minor allele frequencies (MAFs) for UCP1 according to Malay/Chinese/Indian ethnicities were .61/.55/.52 and .32/.55/.38, respectively. UCP3 genotype and allele distribution was significantly associated with ethnicity and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), but among non-obese and Chinese participants only, respectively, after stratified analysis. Chinese participants with T allele had significantly lesser risk to be centrally obese [odds ratio =.69 (CI =.48, 1.00; P=.04)], and also had significantly lower WHR compared to those with C allele. The UCP1 or UCP3 SNPs were not associated with obesity/BMI and total body fat (TBF), but combinatory genotype analysis revealed that those having the AA and CC genotype for the former and latter SNPs had significantly highest BMI and TBF compared to other genotype combinations. CONCLUSIONS: UCP3 -55C/T SNP was associated with central obesity among Malaysian participants of Chinese descent. Combinatory genotype analysis showed that BMI and TBF were significantly different among UCPI -3826A/G and UCP3 -55C/T genotype combinations, suggesting the existence of a gene interaction between UCP1 and UCP3 in influencing obesity and adiposity.

No association between peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor and uncoupling protein gene polymorphisms and obesity in Malaysian university students.

SUMMARY: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are expressed in adipose tissue, where PPARs are nuclear receptors that function as transcription regulators of the expression of UCPs, mitochondria proteins which uncouple protons in exchange of heat released. The PPARα L162V; PPARγ2 C161T; UCP1 -3826A/G; UCP2 45 bp Ins/Del and -866G/A; and UCP3 -55C/T gene polymorphisms have been previously associated with obesity in different populations, but with inconclusive findings. This study was to investigate the prevalence of these gene polymorphisms and their possible association with obesity in a cohort of Malaysian university students in Kuala Lumpur. Random convenience sampling was performed with informed consents and anthropometric measurements were taken. Mouthwash samples were obtained for genomic DNA extraction and genotyping was performed using Polymerase Chain Reaction - Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism. Out of the 256 subjects (140 males and 116 females), 170 were lean and 86 were overweight/obese. The mutated PPARα L162V; PPARγ2 C161T; UCP1 -3826A/G; UCP2 45 bp Ins/Del and -866G/A; and UCP3 -55C/T allele frequencies were 0.006, 0.36, 0.58, 0.12, 0.56 and 0.34, respectively. This study failed to find significant differences in the anthropometric indicators of obesity (Body Mass Index, Waist-Hip Ratio and Total Body Fat) between the genotypes of all the PPAR and UCP gene variants. Overall, the genotype and allele distributions were also not significantly different between genders and BMI status. In conclusion, overweight/obesity is not prevalent among the Malaysian university students and the PPAR and UCP gene polymorphisms are not associated with obesity.: