Linkage exclusion analysis of the chromosome 11 region containing UCP2 andUCP3 with obesity-related phenotypes in Mexican Americans

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the region of chromosome 11 (11q13) conta ining the genes UCP2 and UCP3 could be excluded for linkage with a variety of obesity-related phenotypes in humans. DESIGN: Exclusion mapping using a variance component approach in extended p edigrees, SUBJECTS: Four-hundred and fifty eight individuals (195 females, 263 males) distributed in 10 Mexican American families of probands randomly ascertain ed with respect to any disease state and who are participating in the San A ntonio Family Heart Study, Ages range from 18 to 87 (mean age 35 y). MEASUREMENTS: Serum leptin levels, fat mass (FM), body mass index (BMI), an d waist circumference. RESULTS: We were able to exclude the chromosomal region containing UCP2/UCP 3 as having an effect on this set of obesity-related phenotypes at relative effect sizes of 10% or greater (P-values < 0.05), CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Variation in these genes is unlikel y to have a substantial effect on the expression of obesity-related phenoty pes in the Mexican American population.