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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #239622
Title: A genetic contribution to circulating cytokines and obesity in children

Author
item CAI, GUOWEN - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item COLE, SHELLEY - Southwest Foundation For Biomedical Research (SFBR)
item BUTTE, NANCY - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item SMITH, C - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item MEHTA, NITESH - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item VORUGANTI, V - Southwest Foundation For Biomedical Research (SFBR)
item PROFFITT, J - Southwest Foundation For Biomedical Research (SFBR)
item COMUZZIE, ANTHONY - Southwest Foundation For Biomedical Research (SFBR)

Submitted to: Cytokine
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/7/2008
Publication Date: 11/1/2008
Citation: Cai, G., Cole, S.A., Butte, N.F., Smith, C.W., Mehta, N.R., Voruganti, V.S., Proffitt, J.M., Comuzzie, A.G. 2008. A genetic contribution to circulating cytokines and obesity in children. Cytokines. 44(2):242-247.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Cytokines are considered to be involved in obesity-related metabolic diseases. Study objectives are to determine the heritability of circulating cytokine levels, to investigate pleiotropy between cytokines and obesity traits, and to present genome scan results for cytokines in 1030 Hispanic children enrolled in VIVA LA FAMILIA Study. Cytokine phenotypes included monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), leptin, adiponectin, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1), C-reactive protein (CRP), regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and eotaxin. Obesity-related phenotypes included body mass index (BMI), fat mass (FM), truncal FM, and fasting serum insulin. Heritabilities ranged from 0.33 to 0.97. Pleiotropy was observed between cytokines and obesity traits. Positive genetic correlations were seen between CRP, leptin, MCP-1, and obesity traits, and negative genetic correlations with adiponectin, ICAM-1, and TGF-beta1. Genome-wide scan of sICAM-1 mapped to chromosome 3 (LOD=3.74) between markers D3S1580 and D3S1601, which flanks the adiponectin gene (ADIPOQ). Suggestive linkage signals were found in other chromosomal regions for other cytokines. In summary, significant heritabilities for circulating cytokines, pleiotropy between cytokines and obesity traits, and linkage for sICAM-1 on chromosome 3q substantiate a genetic contribution to circulating cytokine levels in Hispanic children.