AUTHOR=Flouris Andreas D. , Shidlovskii Yulii V. , Shaposhnikov Alexander V. , Yepiskoposyan Levon , Nadolnik Liliya , Karabon Lidia , Kowalska Anna , Carrillo Andres E. , Metsios George S. , Sakellariou Paraskevi TITLE=Role of UCP1 Gene Variants in Interethnic Differences in the Development of Cardio-Metabolic Diseases JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics VOLUME=8 YEAR=2017 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2017.00007 DOI=10.3389/fgene.2017.00007 ISSN=1664-8021 ABSTRACT=

Cardio-metabolic diseases (CMDs) comprise a cluster of risk factors that contribute to chronic pathological conditions with adverse consequences for cardiovascular function and metabolic processes. A wide range of CMD prevalence rates among different ethnic groups has been documented. In view of accumulated evidence, there is a trend toward increasing CMD prevalence rates in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Numerous studies have revealed an association between uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) gene variants and CMDs. UCP1 activity is essential for brown adipose tissue (BAT)-mediated thermogenesis. Experimental animal studies and epidemiological studies in humans highlight the significance of BAT-mediated thermogenesis in protecting against obesity and maintaining a lean phenotype. We hypothesize that the genetic variation in UCP1 gene expression observed among different ethnic groups could contribute to the ethnic-specific predisposition to CMD development. Constructing such prevalence maps of UCP1 gene variants could contribute significantly into identifying high-risk ethnic groups predisposed to the development of CMDs, and further shaping public health policies by the improvement of existing preventive and management strategies.