In conclusion, unprecedented in-depth phenotyping and high-density SNP genotyping enabled the localization of novel genetic loci associated with the pathophysiology of obesity in Hispanic children. Identified genome-wide significant loci: 1) corroborated genes implicated in other studies (MTNR1B, ZNF259/APOA5, XPA/FOXE1 (TTF-2), DARC, CCR3, ABO); 2) localized novel genes in plausible biological pathways (PCSK2, ARHGAP11A, CHRNA3); and 3) revealed novel genes with unknown function in obesity pathogenesis (MATK, COL4A1). As with other GWAS, the variants identified are likely not the actual causal variants but rather markers for genomic regions or loci in which the causal variants lie. Characterization of the underlying functional genetic variants contributing to this serious public health problem in Hispanic children will involve additional study.
