Human obesity does not segregate with the chromosomal regions of Prader-Willi, Bardet-Biedl, Cohen, Borjeson or Wilson-Turner syndromes.

Prader-Willi, Bardet-Biedl, Cohen, Borjeson and Wilson-Turner syndromes are genetic disorders characterized by obesity and other diverse abnormalities. These disorders have been mapped to their respective chromosomal regions, and we hypothesize that each region contains a gene or genes important in the regulation of body weight. We tested this hypothesis by genotyping sibling pairs (n = 207; 17 markers) from 44 families who were segregating an extreme obesity phenotype but were otherwise clinically normal. The number of alleles shared between siblings from these chromosomal regions did not correlate with similarity in body mass index (kg/m2). If genes in these regions contribute to non-syndromal obesity, the prevalence is low and the corresponding alleles are rare.