Biological connections between the MSRA locus and adiposity phenotypes are unclear at this stage. The signal near MSRA showed only weak association with overall adiposity (P = 2.2×10−3 for BMI in stage 2), but the strong association with WC in stage 2 samples became non-significant after BMI-adjustment (P = 0.11). The main proposed function of MSRA is to repair oxidative damage to proteins by enzymatic reduction of methionine sulfoxide. An alternative candidate in the vicinity is TNKS, which encodes a TRF1-interacting ankyrin-related ADP-ribose polymerase (tankyrase). Tankyrase is a peripheral membrane protein known to interact with insulin-responsive aminopeptidase (IRAP) in GLUT4 vesicles in adipocytes [26],[27]. Thus TNKS has a putative role in insulin-regulated glucose disposal into fat and other tissues.
