Genetic variation in a member of the laminin gene family affects variation in body composition in Drosophila and humans.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The objective of the present study was to map candidate loci influencing naturally occurring variation in triacylglycerol (TAG) storage using quantitative complementation procedures in Drosophila melanogaster. Based on our results from Drosophila, we performed a human population-based association study to investigate the effect of natural variation in LAMA5 gene on body composition in humans.

Results

We identified four candidate genes that contributed to differences in TAG storage between two strains of D. melanogaster, including Laminin A (LanA), which is a member of the alpha subfamily of laminin chains. We confirmed the effects of this gene using a viable LanA mutant and showed that female flies homozygous for the mutation had significantly lower TAG storage, b

SUBMITTER: De Luca M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2533007 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature