Recently, large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and meta-analyses in Europeans have revealed over 40 novel adiposity loci associated with BMI, waist circumference and/or waist-hip ratio. The strongest adiposity locus identified to date is FTO.9-12 Additional loci were subsequently identified to be located at, or near the genes BCDIN3D/FAIM2, CDH12, CHST8/KCTD15, CTNNBL1, GNPDA2, LGR4/LIN7C/BDNF, LYPlAL1, MAF, MC4R, MSRA, MTCH2, NEGR1, NPC1, NRXN3, PARD3B, PCSK1, PRL, PTER, SEC16B/RASAL2, SFRS10/ETV5/DGKG, SH2B1/ATP2A1, TFAP2B and TMEM18.13-22 Several of these loci have been confirmed in Asian populations by GWAS and replication studies.23-26 Replication studies in African Americans have revealed inconsistent evidence of association of MC4R27,28 and FTO29-32 with adiposity measures, and limited data is available for other loci. In the present study, we examined the influence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the loci recently identified in GWAS on adiposity in multiple African-American populations.13-20
