Association analysis of genetic polymorphisms and potential interaction of the osteocalcin (BGP) and ER-α genes with body mass index (BMI) in premenopausal Chinese women.

AbstractAim:To investigate whether estrogen receptor α (ER-α) PvuII and osteocalcin (also known as bone Gla protein, or BGP) HindIII genetic polymorphisms and their potential interactions are associated with body mass index (BMI) variation.Methods:Data on BMI and ER-α PvuII and BGP HindIII genotypes were obtained from 328 healthy premenopausal Chinese women in east China. The study subjects were unrelated, at least 21 years old (mean age of 33.2±5.9 years), and had an average BMI of 21.58±2.59. All subjects were genotyped at the ER-α PvuII and BGP HindIII loci using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP).Results:The BGP HindIII genotypes were significantly associated with BMI (P=0.003). Carriers of the HH and Hh genotypes had approximately 2.73% and 1.27% higher BMI than those of the hh genotype, respectively. In contrast, the ER-α PvuII polymorphism was not significantly associated with BMI (P=0.454). In addition, there was no evidence of potential interactions between the ER-α and BGP genes in our subjects (P≥0.013).Conclusion:The HindIII polymorphism of the BGP gene, but not the PvuII polymorphism of the ER-α gene or their potential interaction, was associated with BMI in premenopausal Chinese women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]