Variation in the calpain-10 gene is associated with elevated triglyceride levels and reduced adipose tissue messenger ribonucleic acid expression in obese Swedish subjects.

Our aim was to investigate the possible role of the type 2 diabetes susceptibility gene CAPN10 in obesity. A case control study consisting of 235 obese Swedish subjects [body mass index, 40 (35-45) kg/m(2)] and 235 controls matched for age and gender [body mass index, 22 (21-24) kg/m(2)], and a transmission disequilibrium test consisting of 116 parents-offspring trios, where the offspring was abdominally obese [waist, 100 (95-110) cm], were performed. CAPN10 mRNA expression was studied in adipose tissue biopsies from 33 of the obese subjects participating in the case control study. The CAPN10 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-43 was genotyped using PCR followed by NdeI digestion or by allelic discrimination. CAPN10 mRNA levels were quantified using real-time RT-PCR with Cyclophilin A as an internal standard. No significant associations between CAPN10 SNP-43 and obesity were seen, neither in the case control study nor in the transmission disequilibrium test, but obese subjects homozygous for the SNP-43 G allele had significantly elevated triglyceride levels compared with subjects carrying the A allele [1.7 (1.1-2.4) vs. 1.4 (1.0-2.0); P = 0.03]. The CAPN10 mRNA expression in sc fat was significantly reduced in subjects with the SNP-43 G/G genotype compared with carriers of SNP-43 G/A (G/G, 0.33 +/- 0.02, vs. G/A, 0.51 +/- 0.09; P = 0.048), and a similar trend was observed in visceral fat (G/G, 0.52 +/- 0.06, vs. G/A, 0.65 +/- 0.10; P = 0.22). Our data suggest that reduced CAPN10 expression may be a risk factor for features associated with the metabolic syndrome in obese subjects, although variation in the gene does not seem to contribute to the risk for developing obesity per se.

Variation in GYS1 interacts with exercise and gender to predict cardiovascular mortality.

BACKGROUND: The muscle glycogen synthase gene (GYS1) has been associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D), the metabolic syndrome (MetS), male myocardial infarction and a defective increase in muscle glycogen synthase protein in response to exercise. We addressed the questions whether polymorphism in GYS1 can predict cardiovascular (CV) mortality in a high-risk population, if this risk is influenced by gender or physical activity, and if the association is independent of genetic variation in nearby apolipoprotein E gene (APOE). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Polymorphisms in GYS1 (XbaIC>T) and APOE (-219G>T, epsilon2/epsilon3/epsilon4) were genotyped in 4,654 subjects participating in the Botnia T2D-family study and followed for a median of eight years. Mortality analyses were performed using Cox proportional-hazards regression. During the follow-up period, 749 individuals died, 409 due to CV causes. In males the GYS1 XbaI T-allele (hazard ratio (HR) 1.9 [1.2-2.9]), T2D (2.5 [1.7-3.8]), earlier CV events (1.7 [1.2-2.5]), physical inactivity (1.9 [1.2-2.9]) and smoking (1.5 [1.0-2.3]) predicted CV mortality. The GYS1 XbaI T-allele predicted CV mortality particularly in physically active males (HR 1.7 [1.3-2.0]). Association of GYS1 with CV mortality was independent of APOE (219TT/epsilon4), which by its own exerted an effect on CV mortality risk in females (2.9 [1.9-4.4]). Other independent predictors of CV mortality in females were fasting plasma glucose (1.2 [1.1-1.2]), high body mass index (BMI) (1.0 [1.0-1.1]), hypertension (1.9 [1.2-3.1]), earlier CV events (1.9 [1.3-2.8]) and physical inactivity (1.9 [1.2-2.8]). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Polymorphisms in GYS1 and APOE predict CV mortality in T2D families in a gender-specific fashion and independently of each other. Physical exercise seems to unmask the effect associated with the GYS1 polymorphism, rendering carriers of the variant allele less susceptible to the protective effect of exercise on the risk of CV death, which finding could be compatible with a previous demonstration of defective increase in the glycogen synthase protein in carriers of this polymorphism.

Environmental factors related to the induction of beta-cell autoantibodies in 1-yr-old healthy children.

We studied environmental risk factors which might contribute to the development of beta-cell autoantibodies in healthy children. Here, we investigated 6000 randomly selected children from the large All Babies in Southeast Sweden (ABIS) cohort, including 17 055 newborns recruited between 1997 and 1999. Questionnaires at birth and at 1 yr of age and the levels of autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA) and autoantibodies to tyrosine phosphatase (IA-2A) at 1 yr of age were analyzed. The 99th percentile cutoff for autoantibodies was proposed to identify children at risk of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and the 90th percentile cutoff to identify children in whom beta-cell autoimmunity has been induced. Using the 90th percentile cutoff level, 1156 children had either IA-2A (n = 574) or GADA (n = 582), while 126 children had both GADA and IA-2A. When the 99th percentile cutoff level was used, 114 children had either IA-2A (n = 57) or GADA (n = 57), and six children had both GADA and IA-2A. In logistic regression analysis, celiac disease in grandparents [odds ratio (OR) 2.2] and maternal gastrointestinal infection (OR 1.1) represented a risk for simultaneous occurrence of both IA-2A and GADA above the 90th percentile. Birth in spring (March to May) (OR 1.5) and male gender (OR 1.3) were risk factors for induction of IA-2A. Mother's low education represented a risk for induction of IA-2A (OR 1.5) and GADA (OR 1.4). T1D in first-degree relatives increased the risk for beta-cell autoimmunity above the 99th percentile (OR 2.6), whereas type 2 diabetes in grandparents was associated with GADA (OR 2.1). Exposure to cow's milk formulas <2 months of age implied an OR of 2.9 for IA-2A above the 99th percentile.

Effects of breast milk from allergic and non-allergic mothers on mitogen- and allergen-induced cytokine production.

Breast milk contains several components that provide specific immunity and affect the maturation of the infant's immune system. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of breast milk, on mitogen- and allergen-induced cytokine production from cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC), and if those effects differ between allergic and non-allergic mothers. The cells were incubated for 96 h with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), ovalbumin or cat dander in the presence of various dilutions of colostrum. Colostrum inhibited both mitogen- and cat-induced IFN-gamma and mitogen-induced interleukin-4 (IL-4) production. The inhibition on IFN-gamma production was to some extent caused by TGF-beta, as the effect was modified when an anti-TGF-beta antibody was added to the cultures. In contrast, colostrum enhanced allergen-induced production of the Th2-like cytokines IL-5 and IL-13, and this was accompanied with increased production of IL-10. No differences were found between allergic and non-allergic mothers. The inhibitory effect of breast milk on IFN-gamma production, which was partly due to the high levels of TGF-beta, together with the enhancing effect on IL-10 secretion, confirm that breast milk is anti-inflammatory. Although the production of IL-5 and IL-13 was enhanced by colostrum, this was accompanied with an increased production of IL-10. Together with the high levels of TGF-beta in breast milk and inhibitory effect of colostrum on IL-4 production, this suggests a possible mechanism whereby breast-feeding may protect against the development of allergy. Despite differences in the composition of breast milk between allergic and non-allergic mothers, the effects of breast milk on cytokine production from CBMC were independent of the atopic status of the mothers.