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PGC-1α (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ co-activator 1α) is an important regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and a master regulator of enzymes involved in oxidative phosphorylation. Recent evidence demonstrated that the Gly482Ser single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the PGC-1α gene affects insulin sensitivity, blood lipid metabolism and binding to myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2). Individuals carrying this SNP were shown to have a reduced cardiorespiratory fitness and a higher risk to develop type 2 diabetes. Here, we investigated the responses of untrained men with the Gly482Ser SNP to a 10 week programme of endurance training (cycling, 3 x 60 min/week, heart rate at 70-90% VO2peak). Quantitative data from analysis of biopsies from vastus lateralis muscle revealed that the SNP group, in contrast to the control group, lacked a training-induced increase in content of slow contracting oxidative fibres. Capillary supply, mitochondrial density, mitochondrial enzyme activities and intramyocellular lipid content increased similarly in both groups. These results indicate that the impaired binding of MEF2 to PGC-1α in humans with this SNP impedes exercise-induced fast-to-slow muscle fibre transformation.

Background: SIRT1 and FOXO1 interact with each other in multiple pathways regulating aging, metabolism and resistance to oxidative stress and control different pathways involved in atherosclerotic process. It is not known, if genetic polymorphisms (SNPs) at the SIRT1 and FOXO1 have an influence on carotid atherosclerosis., Methods: Intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured on the common and internal carotid arteries. Morphological alterations of the carotid arteries and size of these alterations were included in the B-score grading on a five point scale. Eleven SNPs at SIRT1 and FOXO1 gene loci were genotyped in the SAPHIR cohort (n = 1742). The association of each SNP with common carotid IMT, internal carotid IMT and B-score was analyzed using linear regression models., Results: A significant association was found between common carotid IMT and two SNPs at FOXO1 - rs10507486, rs2297627 (beta = -0.00168, p = 0.0007 and beta = -0.00144, p = 0.0008 respectively) and at least a trend for rs12413112 at SIRT1 (beta = 0.00177, p = 0.0157) using an additive model adjusting for age and sex. Additional adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors and markers (BMI, smoking status, hypertension, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, hsCRP) even improved the strength of this association (p = 0.0037 for SIRT1 and p = 0.0002 for both SNPs at FOXO1). Analysis for internal carotis IMT and B-score did not reveal any significant association. One haplotype in FOXO1 showed a moderate effect on common carotid IMT and B-score in comparison to the reference haplotype of this gene. Several SNPs within SIRT1 showed differential effects for men and women with higher effect sizes for women: rs3740051 on all three investigated phenotypes (interaction p-value < 0.0069); rs2236319 on common and internal carotid IMT (interaction p-value < 0.0083), rs10823108, rs2273773 on common carotid IMT and rs1467568 on B-score (interaction p-value = 0.0007). The latter was significant in women only (betawomen = 0.111, pwomen = 0.00008; betamen = -0.009, pmen = 0.6464)., Conclusions: This study demonstrated associations of genetic variations at the SIRT1 and FOXO1 loci with carotid atherosclerosis and highlighted the need for further investigation by functional studies.

Adiponectin serum concentrations are an important biomarker in cardiovascular epidemiology with heritability etimates of 30-70%. However, known genetic variants in the adiponectin gene locus (ADIPOQ) account for only 2%-8% of its variance. As transcription factors are thought to play an under-acknowledged role in carrying functional variants, we hypothesized that genetic polymorphisms in genes coding for the main transcription factors for the ADIPOQ promoter influence adiponectin levels. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at these genes were selected based on the haplotype block structure and previously published evidence to be associated with adiponectin levels. We performed association analyses of the 24 selected SNPs at forkhead box O1 (FOXO1), sterol-regulatory-element-binding transcription factor 1 (SREBF1), sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) and transcription factor activating enhancer binding protein 2 beta (TFAP2B) gene loci with adiponectin levels in three different European cohorts: SAPHIR (n = 1742), KORA F3 (n = 1636) and CoLaus (n = 5355). In each study population, the association of SNPs with adiponectin levels on log-scale was tested using linear regression adjusted for age, sex and body mass index, applying both an additive and a recessive genetic model. A pooled effect size was obtained by meta-analysis assuming a fixed effects model. We applied a significance threshold of 0.0033 accounting for the multiple testing situation. A significant association was only found for variants within SREBF1 applying an additive genetic model (smallest p-value for rs1889018 on log(adiponectin) = 0.002, β on original scale = -0.217 µg/ml), explaining ~0.4% of variation of adiponectin levels. Recessive genetic models or haplotype analyses of the FOXO1, SREBF1, SIRT1, TFAPB2B genes or sex-stratified analyses did not reveal additional information on the regulation of adiponectin levels. The role of genetic variations at the SREBF1 gene in regulating adiponectin needs further investigation by functional studies.

Objective: The variability in warfarin dose requirement is attributable to genetic and environmental factors. Acenocoumarol (AC) and phenprocoumon (PC) are coumarin derivates widely prescribed in European countries for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic events. The aim of our study was to investigate the contribution of genes involved in the vitamin K cycle to AC and PC maintenance doses., Methods: Common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes encoding cytochrome P450 family member 2C9 (CYP2C9), vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1), gamma-glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX), calumenin (CALU) and apolipoprotein E (APOE) were studied in 206 patients receiving AC or PC., Results: Compared to patients with the VKORC1 C1173C genotype, maintenance doses for AC or PC were reduced to 74.6 or 70.2% in heterozygous C1173T subjects and to 48.6 or 48.1% in homozygous T1173T subjects (P < 0.0001). Furthermore maintenance doses for AC and PC were significantly lower in heterozygous CYP2C9*1*3, CYP2C9*2*3, and in CYP2C9*3*3 homozygote individuals compared to homozygous CYP2C9*1*1 subjects (P = 0.0004 and P = 0.0017, respectively). A multiple regression model including age, sex, last INR, VKORC1, and CYP2C9 genotypes explained ~50% of the variability in AC/PC dose requirements. CALU genotype combinations showed minor effects on PC dose requirements. No associations with AC or PC dose requirements were observed for sequence substitutions in the GGCX or APOE genes., Conclusion: These results reveal that interindividual variability in weekly AC and PC maintenance dose requirement is mainly dependent on the VKORC1 1173C>T and the CYP2C9*3 alleles. VKORC1 and CYP2C9 genotyping might provide helpful information to prevent serious bleeding events in subjects receiving AC or PC.