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Molecular Variation in Neuropeptide Y and Bone Mineral Density Among Men of African Ancestry

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Abstract

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a physiological candidate gene for the regulation of body weight and has more recently been implicated in regulating bone mass. The current study sought to test if inherited variation in NPY might influence BMD in a population of African-ancestry men who have high bone mineral density (BMD). We genotyped 17 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the NPY gene region in 1,113 randomly selected men of African ancestry aged ≥40 years and tested for association with anthropometric characteristics and proximal femur BMD. The homozygous rare genotype of four SNPs was associated with a 0.92–1.59% decrease in stature (corrected P < 0.05). No SNP was associated with body mass index or body weight. Two SNPs in a 5-kb linkage disequilibrium block encompassing exons 3 and 4 were associated with proximal femur BMD, adjusted for age, body weight, and height (corrected P < 0.05). These results suggest that genetic variation at the NPY locus may contribute to bone density, independently of body weight.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grant R01-AR049747 from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, 130 DeSoto St, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA

    Louis J. Goodrich, Laura M. Yerges-Armstrong, Iva Miljkovic, Cara S. Nestlerode, Allison L. Kuipers, Clareann H. Bunker & Joseph M. Zmuda

  2. The Tobago Health Studies Office, Scarborough, Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago

    Alan L. Patrick & Victor W. Wheeler

  3. Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Joseph M. Zmuda

Authors
  1. Louis J. Goodrich
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  2. Laura M. Yerges-Armstrong
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  5. Allison L. Kuipers
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  9. Joseph M. Zmuda
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Correspondence to Joseph M. Zmuda.

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Goodrich, L.J., Yerges-Armstrong, L.M., Miljkovic, I. et al. Molecular Variation in Neuropeptide Y and Bone Mineral Density Among Men of African Ancestry. Calcif Tissue Int 85, 507–513 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-009-9307-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-009-9307-x

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