Association of the LINGO2-related SNP rs10968576 with body mass in a cohort of elderly Swedes.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified common genetic factors influencing body mass as well as body adiposity. The functional implications of these loci are currently under investigation. Intense scrutiny of the body mass-associated FTO locus revealed age-specific effects, or a weakened effect in elderly populations. In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) representing 35 GWAS-identified body mass- and adiposity-associated genetic loci. In our analysis, 949 participants of the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors cohort were included. All participants were born between 1920 and 1924. Data were available for 474 male and 475 female participants at age 70 and 380 male and 390 female participants at age 75. Genetic associations with BMI and change in BMI from age 70 to 75 were analyzed. In our analysis, rs10968576, an intronic SNP within the LINGO2 (LERN3, LRRN6C) gene, was associated with body mass in a cross section of elderly Swedes at age 70. This is the first study to replicate the association of a LINGO2-related genetic variant with body mass in an independent cohort of elderly citizens.