Linkage and Association Between CA Repeat Polymorphism of the TNFR2 Gene and Obesity Phenotypes in Two Independent Caucasian Populations

Previously, our group has reported a suggestive linkage evidence of 1p36 with body mass index (BMI) (LOD = 2.09). The tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) at 1p36 is an excellent positional and functional candidate gene for obesity. In this study, we have investigated the linkage and association between the TNFR2 gene and obesity phenotypes in two large independent samples, using the quantitative transmission disequilibrium tests (QTDT). The first group was made up of 1 836 individuals from 79 multi-generation pedigrees. The second group was a randomly ascertained set of 636 individuals from 157 US Caucasian nuclear families. Obesity phenotypes tested include BMI, fat mass, and percentage fat mass (PFM). A significant result (P = 0.0056) was observed for linkage with BMI in the sample of the multigenerational pedigrees. Our data support the TNFR2 gene as a quantitative trait locus (QTL) underlying BMI variation in the Caucasian populations.