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Biomedical subjects

Philippe Froguel

Publications and source records attributed to Philippe Froguel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2024

Obesity: exploring its connection to brain function through genetic and genomic perspectives.

Obesity represents an escalating global health burden with profound medical and economic impacts. The conventional perspective on obesity revolves around its classification as a "pure" metabolic disorder, marked by an imbalance between calorie consumption and energy expenditure. Present knowledge, however, recognizes the intricate interaction of rare or frequent genetic factors that favor the development of obesity, together with the emergence of neurodevelopmental and mental abnormalities, phenotypes that are modulated by environmental factors such as lifestyle. Thirty years of human genetic research has unveiled >20 genes, causing severe early-onset monogenic obesity and ~1000 loci associated with common polygenic obesity, most of those expressed in the brain, depicting obesity as a neurological and mental condition. Therefore, obesity's association with brain function should be better recognized. In this context, this review seeks to broaden the current perspective by elucidating the genetic determinants that contribute to both obesity and neurodevelopmental and mental dysfunctions. We conduct a detailed examination of recent genetic findings, correlating them with clinical and behavioral phenotypes associated with obesity. This includes how polygenic obesity, influenced by a myriad of genetic variants, impacts brain regions associated with addiction and reward, differentiating it from monogenic forms. The continuum between non-syndromic and syndromic monogenic obesity, with evidence from neurodevelopmental and cognitive assessments, is also addressed. Current therapeutic approaches that target these genetic mechanisms, yielding improved clinical outcomes and cognitive advantages, are discussed. To sum up, this review corroborates the genetic underpinnings of obesity, affirming its classification as a neurological disorder that may have broader implications for neurodevelopmental and mental conditions. It highlights the promising intersection of genetics, genomics, and neurobiology as a foundation for developing tailored medical approaches to treat obesity and its related neurological aspects.

Humans↗
PubMed2007

Comment on "A common genetic variant is associated with adult and childhood obesity".

Herbert et al. (Reports, 14 April 2006, p. 279) reported an association between the INSIG2 gene variant rs7566605 and obesity in four sample populations, under a recessive model. We attempted to replicate this result in 10,265 Caucasian individuals, combining family-based, case-control, and general population studies, but found no support for a major role of this variant in obesity.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

No contribution of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene variants to severe obesity: a model for comprehensive case/control and quantitative cladistic analysis of ACE in human diseases.

Candidate gene analyses are often inconclusive owing to genetic or phenotypic heterogeneity, low statistical power, selection of nonfunctional SNPs, and inadequate statistical analysis of the genetic architecture. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is involved in adipocyte growth and function and the ACE-processed angiotensin II inhibits adipocyte differentiation. Associations between body mass index (BMI) and ACE polymorphisms have been reported in general populations, but the contribution to severe obesity of this gene, which is located under an obesity genome-scan linkage peak on 17q23, is unknown. ACE is one of the most studied genes and markers responsible for variation in circulating ACE enzyme levels have been extensively characterised. Eight of these variants were genotyped in 1054 severely obese cases and 918 nonobese controls, as well as 116 nuclear families from the genome scan (n=447), enabling the known clades to be inferred. Qualitative analysis of individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), haplotypes, clades, and diploclades demonstrated no significant associations (P<0.05) after minimal correction for multiple testing. Quantitative analysis of clades and diploclades for BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, or ZBMI in children were also not significant. This rigorous, large-scale study of common, well-defined, severe polygenic obesity provides strong evidence that functionally relevant sequence variation in ACE, whether it is defined at the level of SNPs, haplotypes, or clades, is not associated with severe obesity in French Caucasians. Such a study design exemplifies the strategy needed to clearly define the contribution of the ACE gene to the plethora of complex genetic diseases where weak associations have been previously reported.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed2006

Adiponectin, type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome: lessons from human genetic studies.

Adiponectin, a protein exclusively secreted by adipose tissue but present at low levels in obesity, is now widely recognised as a key determinant of insulin sensitivity and of protection against obesity-associated metabolic syndrome. In this review we explain how genetic findings have contributed to a better understanding of the physiological role of adiponectin in humans. The adiponectin-encoding gene, ADIPOQ (ACDC), is very polymorphic: many frequent exonic synonymous, intronic and promoter single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified, as well as a few rare exonic amino acid substitutions. Several of these variations additively contribute to the modulation of adiponectin level and function, and associate with insulin sensitivity, type 2 diabetes and vascular complications of obesity.

Adiponectin↗
PubMed2006

Genotype-by-nutrient interactions assessed in European obese women. A case-only study.

BACKGROUND: The development of obesity is influenced by both genetic and environmental risk factors. Whereas changes in the environment appear to be responsible for the increasing prevalence of obesity, genetic factors interacting with environmental factors would contribute to explain obesity onset and severity. AIM: To explore epidemiologic genotype-by-nutrient interactions in obesity. METHODS: A total of 42 polymorphisms of 26 candidate genes for obesity were genotyped in 549 adult obese women recruited from eight European centres in a case-only study. The nutritional variables assessed in this study were the dietary fibre intake (grams per day), the ratio of dietary polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat (P:S ratio) and the percentage of energy derived from fat in the diet as calculated from a weighed three-day food record (%E). Under the assumption of genotype-nutrient independence in the population, the odds ratio calculated in a sample of obese women would indicate the existence of genotype-by-nutrient interactions, measured as deviations from the multiplicative effects of the genetic and the nutrient factors separately. RESULTS: No new but confirmaty evidences for genotype-by-nutrient interactions in obesity were detected in this case-only study. The test of interaction between fibre intake and the -514 C > T polymorphism of the hepatic lipase gene (LIPC) yielded P-values of 0.01 across different statistical models. Likewise, the -11377G > C polymorphism of the adiponectin gene (ADIPOQ) and the -681 C > G polymorphism of the PPARG3 gene might interact with the percentage of energy derived from fat in the diet for the development of obesity (P-values in the range of 0.01-0.05 across different statistical models). The P-values were not adjusted for multiple testing, so these results should be considered with caution. CONCLUSIONS: Although the use of obese-only samples is theoretically a useful approach to detect interactions, few genotype-by-nutrient interactions have been suggested in obese European women after the analysis of candidate polymorphisms and the selected nutrient variables. The most remarkable multiplicative interaction found in this study refers to the combination of the hepatic lipase gene polymorphism -514 C > T and fibre intake.

Adiponectin↗
PubMed2006

Genetics of obesity and the prediction of risk for health.

Obesity has always existed in human populations, but until very recently was comparatively rare. The availability of abundant, energy-rich processed foods in the last few decades has, however, resulted in a sharp rise in the prevalence of obesity in westernized countries. Although it is the obesogenic environment that has resulted in this major healthcare problem, it is acting by revealing a sub-population with a pre-existing genetic predisposition to excess adiposity. There is substantial evidence for the heritability of obesity, and research in both rare and common forms of obesity has identified genes with significant roles in its aetiology. Application of this understanding to patient care has been slower. Until very recently, the health risks of obesity were thought to be well understood, with a straightforward correlation between increasing obesity and increasing risk of health problems such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, arthritis and cancer. It is becoming clear, however, that the location of fat deposition, variation in the secretion of adipokines and other factors govern whether a particular obese person develops such complications. Prediction of the health risks of obesity for individual patients is not straightforward, but continuing advances in understanding of genetic factors influencing obesity risk and improved diagnostic technologies mean that the future for such prediction is looking increasingly bright.

Bardet-Biedl Syndrome↗
PubMed2006

Impact of a CART promoter genetic variation on plasma lipid profile in a general population.

The cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART), an anorexigenic peptide responding to leptin, is expressed in various areas of the hypothalamus. The role of CART in humans and its potential contribution to abnormalities in feeding control are mostly unknown. Since CART plays an important role in the hypothalamic regulation of energy balance by reducing food intake and increasing lipid substrate utilization, it might affect cholesterol metabolism as Neuropeptide Y or pro-opiomelanocortin do. In the present work, we studied the potential effects of three SNPs of the CART promoter in a WHO-MONICA general population from North of France (n=840), untreated for hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, or diabetes mellitus since any treatment is likely to interfere with lipoprotein/lipid variables. Our results show associations between these SNPs and plasma LDL-cholesterol level and the LDL/HDL ratio, a marker of atherogenicity. A haplotypic study suggests that these effects are mainly attributable to the functional SNP -3608C>T. Subjects bearing the -3608 C allele present a plasma lipid profile protective against atherogenesis: decrease of plasma LDL-cholesterol level (p=0.001) and of the LDL/HDL ratio (p=0.0003). This result offers new evidences for a potential implication of the CART gene in lipid metabolism and in atherogenesis.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Activating mutations in the ABCC8 gene in neonatal diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: The ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channel, composed of the beta-cell proteins sulfonylurea receptor (SUR1) and inward-rectifying potassium channel subunit Kir6.2, is a key regulator of insulin release. It is inhibited by the binding of adenine nucleotides to subunit Kir6.2, which closes the channel, and activated by nucleotide binding or hydrolysis on SUR1, which opens the channel. The balance of these opposing actions determines the low open-channel probability, P(O), which controls the excitability of pancreatic beta cells. We hypothesized that activating mutations in ABCC8, which encodes SUR1, cause neonatal diabetes. METHODS: We screened the 39 exons of ABCC8 in 34 patients with permanent or transient neonatal diabetes of unknown origin. We assayed the electrophysiologic activity of mutant and wild-type K(ATP) channels. RESULTS: We identified seven missense mutations in nine patients. Four mutations were familial and showed vertical transmission with neonatal and adult-onset diabetes; the remaining mutations were not transmitted and not found in more than 300 patients without diabetes or with early-onset diabetes of similar genetic background. Mutant channels in intact cells and in physiologic concentrations of magnesium ATP had a markedly higher P(O) than did wild-type channels. These overactive channels remained sensitive to sulfonylurea, and treatment with sulfonylureas resulted in euglycemia. CONCLUSIONS: Dominant mutations in ABCC8 accounted for 12 percent of cases of neonatal diabetes in the study group. Diabetes results from a newly discovered mechanism whereby the basal magnesium-nucleotide-dependent stimulatory action of SUR1 on the Kir pore is elevated and blockade by sulfonylureas is preserved.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗
PubMed2006

Distinct impaired regulation of SOCS3 and long and short isoforms of the leptin receptor in visceral and subcutaneous fat of lean and obese women.

Animal studies have illustrated the importance of the expression in adipose tissue of the leptin receptor (OB-R), and of SOCS3 an inhibitor of the leptin signaling pathway, in body weight regulation. The aim of the present study was to investigate in human adipose tissues of the same patients the OB-R isoforms and SOCS3 expression. Subcutaneous and omental adipose tissues were obtained from 6 lean and 18 morbidly obese women. The long isoform OB-Rb mRNA mediating leptin signaling, and SOCS3 mRNA are abundantly present in the subcutaneous fat of lean women, but are 90% and 70% decreased (P<0.0001) in obese women. In visceral fat from lean and obese women, both OB-Rb and SOCS3 mRNA are detected at very low levels. Subcutaneous/visceral ratios for OB-Ra the short OB-R isoform, OB-Rb, and SOCS3 mRNA abundance strongly correlate with the insulin sensitivity index, HOMA-% S, (r=0.49, P<0.0001, r=0.42, P=0.0002 and r=0.38, P=0.0002, respectively) in both lean and obese patients without type 2 diabetes. The near absence of OB-Rb mRNA and the similarly decreased SOCS3 expression in obese adipose tissue may reflect a defective leptin signaling pathway that could play a role in the impairment of insulin sensitivity associated with excess adiposity.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Association of the calpain-10 gene with type 2 diabetes in Europeans: results of pooled and meta-analyses.

We conducted pooled and meta-analyses of the association of the calpain-10 gene (CAPN10) polymorphisms SNP-43, Indel-19 and SNP-63 individually and as haplotypes with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 3237 patients and 2935 controls of European ancestry. In the pooled analyses, the common SNP-43*G allele was associated with modest but statistically significant increased risk of T2D (odds ratio (OR)=1.11 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02-1.20), P=0.01). Two haplotype combinations were associated with increased risk of T2D (1-2-1/1-2-1, OR=1.20 (1.03-1.41), P=0.02; and 1-1-2/1-2-1, OR=1.26 (1.01-1.59), P=0.04) and one with decreased risk (1-1-1/2-2-1, OR=0.86 (0.75-0.99), P=0.03). The meta-analysis also showed a significant effect of the 1-2-1/1-2-1 haplogenotype on risk (OR=1.25 (1.05-1.50), P=0.01). However, there was evidence for heterogeneity with respect to this effect (P=0.06). The heterogeneity appeared to be due to data sets in which the cases were selected from samples used in linkage studies of T2D. Using only the population-based case-control samples removed the heterogeneity (P=0.89) and strengthened the evidence for association with T2D in both the pooled (SNP-43*G, OR=1.19 (1.07-1.32), P=0.001; 1-2-1/1-2-1 haplogenotype, OR=1.46 (1.19-1.78), P=0.0003; 1-1-2/1-2-1 haplogenotype, OR=1.52 (1.12-2.06), P=0.007; and 1-1-1/2-2-1 haplogenotype, OR=0.83 (0.70-0.99), P=0.03) and the meta-analysis (SNP-43*G, OR=1.18 (1.05-1.32), P=0.005; 1-2-1/1-2-1 haplogenotype, OR=1.68 (1.33-2.11), P=0.00001). The pooled and meta-analyses as well as the linkage disequilibrium and haplotype diversity studies suggest a role for genetic variation in CAPN10 affecting risk of T2D in Europeans.

Calpain↗
PubMed2006

Genetic polymorphisms and weight loss in obesity: a randomised trial of hypo-energetic high- versus low-fat diets.

OBJECTIVES: To study if genes with common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with obesity-related phenotypes influence weight loss (WL) in obese individuals treated by a hypo-energetic low-fat or high-fat diet. DESIGN: Randomised, parallel, two-arm, open-label multi-centre trial. SETTING: Eight clinical centres in seven European countries. PARTICIPANTS: 771 obese adult individuals. INTERVENTIONS: 10-wk dietary intervention to hypo-energetic (-600 kcal/d) diets with a targeted fat energy of 20%-25% or 40%-45%, completed in 648 participants. OUTCOME MEASURES: WL during the 10 wk in relation to genotypes of 42 SNPs in 26 candidate genes, probably associated with hypothalamic regulation of appetite, efficiency of energy expenditure, regulation of adipocyte differentiation and function, lipid and glucose metabolism, or production of adipocytokines, determined in 642 participants. RESULTS: Compared with the noncarriers of each of the SNPs, and after adjusting for gender, age, baseline weight and centre, heterozygotes showed WL differences that ranged from -0.6 to 0.8 kg, and homozygotes, from -0.7 to 3.1 kg. Genotype-dependent additional WL on low-fat diet ranged from 1.9 to -1.6 kg in heterozygotes, and from 3.8 kg to -2.1 kg in homozygotes relative to the noncarriers. Considering the multiple testing conducted, none of the associations was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Polymorphisms in a panel of obesity-related candidate genes play a minor role, if any, in modulating weight changes induced by a moderate hypo-energetic low-fat or high-fat diet.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Analysis of common PTPN1 gene variants in type 2 diabetes, obesity and associated phenotypes in the French population.

BACKGROUND: The protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B, a negative regulator for insulin and leptin signalling, potentially modulates glucose and energy homeostasis. PTP1B is encoded by the PTPN1 gene located on chromosome 20q13 showing linkage with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in several populations. PTPN1 gene variants have been inconsistently associated with T2D, and the aim of our study was to investigate the effect of PTPN1 genetic variations on the risk of T2D, obesity and on the variability of metabolic phenotypes in the French population. METHODS: Fourteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning the PTPN1 locus were selected from previous association reports and from HapMap linkage disequilibrium data. SNPs were evaluated for association with T2D in two case-control groups with 1227 cases and 1047 controls. Association with moderate and severe obesity was also tested in a case-control study design. Association with metabolic traits was evaluated in 736 normoglycaemic, non-obese subjects from a general population. Five SNPs showing a trend towards association with T2D, obesity or metabolic parameters were investigated for familial association. RESULTS: From 14 SNPs investigated, only SNP rs914458, located 10 kb downstream of the PTPN1 gene significantly associated with T2D (p = 0.02 under a dominant model; OR = 1.43 [1.06-1.94]) in the combined sample set. SNP rs914458 also showed association with moderate obesity (allelic p = 0.04; OR = 1.2 [1.01-1.43]). When testing for association with metabolic traits, two strongly correlated SNPs, rs941798 and rs2426159, present multiple consistent associations. SNP rs2426159 exhibited evidence of association under a dominant model with glucose homeostasis related traits (p = 0.04 for fasting insulin and HOMA-B) and with lipid markers (0.02 = p = 0.04). Moreover, risk allele homozygotes for this SNP had an increased systolic blood pressure (p = 0.03). No preferential transmission of alleles was observed for the SNPs tested in the family sample. CONCLUSION: In our study, PTPN1 variants showed moderate association with T2D and obesity. However, consistent associations with metabolic variables reflecting insulin resistance and dyslipidemia are found for two intronic SNPs as previously reported. Thus, our data indicate that PTPN1 variants may modulate the lipid profile, thereby influencing susceptibility to metabolic disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The INS VNTR locus does not associate with smallness for gestational age (SGA) but interacts with SGA to increase insulin resistance in young adults.

CONTEXT: Both adverse intrauterine events and genetic background have been suggested to promote insulin resistance in subjects born small for gestational age (SGA). Among candidate genes that potentially influence both fetal growth and glucose metabolism is insulin. The potential effect of the insulin gene VNTR (INS) on birth weight has been controversial so far. OBJECTIVE: The present association study aimed at testing for the contribution of the INS VNTR locus on birth weight and on the metabolic profile of young adults born SGA (mean age, 22 yr). Two groups of subjects were selected on birth data: SGA (birth weight < 10th percentile; n = 735), and appropriate for gestational age (AGA; birth weight between 25th and 75th percentiles; n = 886). All subjects were genotyped for rs689 A/T single nucleotide polymorphism, in complete linkage disequilibrium with the INS VNTR classes I and III, respectively. RESULTS: Class I INS frequencies were similar in the two groups (70% in AGA; 72% in SGA; P = 0.42). There was significant effect on mean birth weight in neither SGA (P = 0.99) nor AGA (P = 0.18). Although the INS VNTR locus did not associate with anomalies of insulin resistance indices in the AGA group, in the SGA group, INS VNTR class III allele was associated with higher insulin resistance (quantitative insulin sensitivity check index = 0.38 vs. 0.39; P = 0.05). Furthermore, there was evidence of an interaction between the SGA/AGA status and INS VNTR locus on insulin resistance indices (P = 0.01) in a multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: The INS VNTR locus does not associate in a major way with SGA in the French population. However, our data support an interaction between severe fetal growth restriction and INS VNTR locus, which were associated with insulin resistance in young adults born SGA.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

A POMC variant implicates beta-melanocyte-stimulating hormone in the control of human energy balance.

The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) plays a critical role in the control of energy balance. Of its two pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived ligands, alpha- and beta-MSH, the majority of attention has focused on alpha-MSH, partly reflecting the absence of beta-MSH in rodents. We screened the POMC gene in 538 patients with severe, early-onset obesity and identified five unrelated probands who were heterozygous for a rare missense variant in the region encoding beta-MSH, Tyr221Cys. This frequency was significantly increased (p < 0.001) compared to the general UK Caucasian population and the variant cosegregated with obesity/overweight in affected family members. Compared to wild-type beta-MSH, the variant peptide was impaired in its ability to bind to and activate signaling from the MC4R. Obese children carrying the Tyr221Cys variant were hyperphagic and showed increased linear growth, both of which are features of MC4R deficiency. These studies support a role for beta-MSH in the control of human energy homeostasis.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed2006

Genetic basis of maturity-onset diabetes of the young.

Most valuable breakthroughs in the genetics of type 2 diabetes mellitus have arisen from familial linkage analysis of maturity-onset diabetes of the young, an autosomal dominant form of diabetes typically occurring before 25 years of age and caused by primary insulin-secretion defects. Despite its low prevalence, MODY is not a single entity but presents genetic, metabolic, and clinical heterogeneity. MODY can result from mutations in at least six different genes;one encodes the glycolytic enzyme glucokinase, which is an important glucose sensor, whereas all the others encode transcription factors that participate in a regulatory network essential for adult beta cell function. Additional genes, yet unidentified, may explain the other MODY cases unlinked to a mutation in the known genes.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed2006

[ENPP1, the first example of common genetic link between childhood and adult obesity and type 2 diabetes].

Clinical studies have established the strong link between obesity and type 2 diabetes, especially in children, where the rising prevalence of childhood severe obesity has preceded the recent emergence of early-onset forms of "diabesity". These data suggested a common genetic background shared by both conditions, which was also supported by the identification by genome scans of several diabesity chromosomal regions of linkage. The genetic investigation of early-onset form of familial obesity linkage to chromosome 6q led to the identification of ENPP1, an inhibitor of the insulin receptor, as a possible molecular mechanism behind both obesity and type 2 diabetes. Analysis of the DNA variations of ENPP1 in 6,147 subjects showed association between a combination of variants and both childhood obesity, morbid or moderate obesity in adults and also with type 2 diabetes. This study provides a first molecular basis for the physiopathologic association between severe insulin resistance and obesity, and further type 2 diabetes, and offers a new perspective for prevention and treatment of these conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Hepatocyte nuclear factor-4alpha P2 promoter haplotypes are associated with type 2 diabetes in the Japanese population.

Hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-4alpha is a transcription factor known as a key molecule in the development and functions of the beta-cells. In a previously performed genome-wide scan of Japanese type 2 diabetic sibpairs, we observed linkage of type 2 diabetes to chromosome 20q12-q13, a region in which the HNF4A gene is located. Recent studies have reported associations between type 2 diabetes and polymorphisms in the P2 promoter region specific to beta-cells. In this study, we attempted to assess whether the HNF4A gene plays a role in the genetic susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in the Japanese population by analyzing polymorphisms and haplotypes of the HNF4A gene. Linkage disequilibrium across the P2 promoter region was preserved in the Japanese population, consistent with previous reports. Although none of the individual polymorphisms examined showed any significant association with type 2 diabetes, we found very strong evidence of the association between type 2 diabetes and the haplotype consisting of two polymorphisms in the P2 promoter region of the HNF4A gene (P = 3.82 x 10(-4)). In contrast, there was no association between type 2 diabetes and haplotypes consisting of polymorphisms not located in the P2 promoter region, suggesting that the type 2 diabetes susceptibility loci are localized in the P2 promoter region of the HNF4A gene. The association was replicated using two additional cohorts (P = 1.51 x 10(-4) and 0.019, respectively). The results of the present analysis revealed that the HNF4A gene might be a type 2 diabetes susceptibility gene common to different ethnic groups. The study also suggested the possible existence of an as-yet-unidentified but functional polymorphism in the P2 promoter region of the HNF4A gene that directly influences susceptibility to type 2 diabetes.

Chromosome Mapping↗