Positional candidate gene analysis of Lim domain homeobox gene (Isl-1) on chromosome 5q11-q13 in a French morbidly obese population suggests indication for association with type 2 diabetes.

The Lim domain homeobox gene (Isl-1) is a positional candidate gene for obesity that maps on chromosome 5q11-q13, a locus linked to BMI and leptin levels in French Caucasians. Isl-1 might be involved in body weight regulation and glucose homeostasis via the activation of proglucagon gene expression, which encodes for glucagon and glucagon-like peptides. By mutation screening of 72 obese subjects, we identified three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Isl1 gene. The allele frequencies in the morbidly obese group did not differ from that of the control group. In the obese group, the -47G allele was associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes (odds ratio 0.41, P = 0.019). The AG bearers displayed a higher maximal BMI than the AA bearers in the whole obese group (P = 0.026) as well as in the type 2 diabetic obese subgroup (P = 0.014). In obese families, this allele was not preferentially transmitted from heterozygous parents to their obese siblings, indicating that Isl-1 does not contribute to the linkage with obesity on 5cen-q. However, in French Caucasian morbidly obese subjects, the Isl1-47A-->G SNP may modulate the risk for type 2 diabetes and may increase body weight in diabetic morbidly obese subjects.