Obesity and variants of the GHRL(ghrelin) and BCHE(butyrylcholinesterase) genes

Abstract

Ghrelin coded by the GHRLgene is related to weight-gain, its deactivation possibly depending on its hydrolyzation by butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) encoded by theBCHEgene, an enzyme already associated with the body mass index (BMI). The aim was to search for relationships between SNPs of theGHRLandBCHEgenes with BChE activity, BMI and obesity in 144 obese and 153 nonobese Euro-Brazilian male blood donors. In the obese individuals, a significant association with higher BChE activity, in the 72LM+72MM; -116GGgenotype class (GHRLand BCHEgenes, respectively) was noted. No significant differences were found otherwise, through comparisons between obese and control individuals, of genotype and allele frequencies in SNPs of the GHRLgene (Arg51Glnand Leu72Met), or mean BMI between72LLand72LM+72MMgenotypes. Although there appears to be no direct relationship between the examined GHRLSNPs and BMI, the association of the 72MSNP with higher BChE activity in obese subjects probably points to a regulatory mechanism, thereby implying the influence of the GHRLgene on BChE expression, and a consequential metabolic role in the complex process of fat utilization. © 2011, Sociedade Brasileira de Genética.