Copy number variations of obesity relevant loci associated with body mass index in young Chinese

Obesity is one of the most complex human diseases that are widely concerned and studied. More recently, copy number variations (CNVs) emerge as another important genetic marker to influence various human diseases. To elucidate the relationship between obesity and CNVs, this current study selected obesity-related candidate CNVs and analyzed their association with body mass index (BMI). Results showed that a CNV locus, 8q24.3, was significantly different (P = 0.0070) in CNV frequency between the obese and healthy controls in a young eastern Chinese cohort, while no statistical significance was observed in other seven candidate loci including well reported 10q11.22 and 16p11.2 loci. The association of 8q24.3 CNVs with BMI of the subjects only showed marginal significance, while the copy number (CN) of 5p15.33 had a significant correlation with the BMI of the subject. These results suggested that 8q24.3 CN gains was associated with obesity, and 5p15.33 might also contribute to obesity pathogenesis, highlighting the importance of these CNVs for obesity risks, as well as providing new evidence for CNVs in the pathology of common diseases.

► Eight obesity-related candidate copy number variation (CNV) loci are selected.
► 8q24.3 is significantly different in CNV frequency associated with body mass index.
► 5p15.33 has a significant correlation with the BMI in our cohort.
► Results highlight the importance role of CNV in the pathology of common diseases.