Open AccessLack of Evidence for a Major Gene in the Mendelian Transmission of BMI in Chinese
Author(s) -
Liu PengYuan,
Li YuMei,
Li MiaoXin,
Malkin Ida,
Qin YueJuan,
Chen XiangDing,
Liu YongJun,
Deng HongWen
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
obesity research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1550-8528
pISSN - 1071-7323
DOI - 10.1038/oby.2004.247
Subject(s) - heritability , mendelian inheritance , body mass index , genetics , chinese people , medicine , inheritance (genetic algorithm) , major gene , gene , demography , biology , china , geography , archaeology , sociology
Objectives : To determine the heritability of BMI and to examine the mode of inheritance of BMI variation in Chinese. Research Methods and Procedures : Familial correlation and complex segregation analyses for BMI were undertaken in a Chinese sample composed of 392 nuclear families, with 1190 total individuals. Results : A moderate heritability was found for BMI ( h 2 = 0.419 ‐ 0.492). The obtained results do not support a major gene for BMI in our samples. BMI may be inherited in a complex and non‐Mendelian manner in Chinese. Discussion : The findings of this study suggest that identification of specific genes for BMI in Chinese, at least within the same data set, is a serious challenge because of the lack of evidence of a major gene for BMI in our Chinese sample.