Lara Lechner, Robert Opitz, Matt J Silver, Philipp M Krabusch, Andrew M Prentice, Martha S Field, Harald Stachelscheid, Elsa Leitão, Christopher Schröder, Valeria Fernandez Vallone, Bernhard Horsthemke, Karl-Heinz Jöckel, Börge Schmidt, Markus M Nöthen, Per Hoffmann, Stefan Herms, Patrick W Kleyn, Matthias Megges, Ulrike Blume-Peytavi, Katja Weiss, Knut Mai, Oliver Blankenstein, Benedikt Obermayer, Susanna Wiegand, Peter Kühnen
Increasing evidence points toward epigenetic variants as a risk factor for developing obesity. We analyzed DNA methylation of the POMC (pro-opiomelanocortin) gene, which is pivotal for satiety regulation. We identified sex-specific and nongenetically determined POMC hypermethylation associated with a 1.4-fold (confidence interval, 1.03 to 2.04) increased individual risk of developing obesity. To investigate the early embryonic establishment of POMC methylation states, we established a human embryonic stem cell (hESC) model...
July 19, 2023: Science Translational Medicine