OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 caused a global pandemic with millions of deaths. Fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) (alias m6A RNA demethylase) and its functional rs17817449 polymorphism are candidates to influence COVID-19-associated mortality since methylation status of viral nucleic acids is an important factor influencing viral viability. METHODS: We tested a population-based cohort of 5233 subjects (aged 63-87 years in 2020) where 70 persons died from COVID-19 and 394 from other causes during the pandemic period. RESULTS: The frequency of GG homozygotes was higher among those who died from COVID-19 (34%) than among survivors (19%) or deaths from other causes (20%), P <0.005. After multiple adjustments, GG homozygotes had a higher risk of death from COVID-19 with odds ratio = 2.01 (95% confidence interval; 1.19-3.41, P <0.01) compared with carriers of at least one T allele. The FTO polymorphism was not associated with mortality from other causes. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that FTO variability is a significant predictor of COVID-19-associated mortality in Caucasians.

• Keywords
• COVID-19, FTO, Mortality, Polymorphism, SARS-CoV-2,
• MeSH
• Alleles MeSH
• COVID-19 * mortality   genetics   virology   MeSH
• Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO * genetics   MeSH
• Genetic Predisposition to Disease MeSH
• Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide * MeSH
• Cohort Studies MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• SARS-CoV-2 physiology   MeSH
• Aged, 80 and over MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Check Tag
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged, 80 and over MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• FTO protein, human MeSH Browser
• Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO * MeSH

BACKGROUND: The Czech governmental study suggests up to a 25% higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Roma population than within the majority population. It is not known whether and to what extent these differences have a genetic background. METHODS: To analyze whether the frequencies of the alleles/genotypes of the FTO, TCF7L2, CDKN2A/2B, MAEA, TLE4, IGF2BP2, ARAP1, and KCNJ11 genes differ between the two major ethnic groups in the Czech Republic, we examined them in DNA samples from 302 Roma individuals and 298 Czech individuals. RESULTS: Compared to the majority population, Roma are more likely to carry risk alleles in the FTO (26% vs. 16% GG homozygotes, p < .01), IGF2BP2 (22% vs. 10% TT homozygotes, p < .0001), ARAP1 (98% vs. 95% of A allele carriers, p < .005), and CDKN2A/2B (81% vs. 66% of TT homozygotes, p < .001) genes; however, less frequently they are carriers of the TCF7L2 risk allele (34% vs. 48% of the T allele p < .0005). Finally, we found significant accumulation of T2DM-associated alleles between the Roma population in comparison with the majority population (25.4% vs. 15.2% of the carriers of at least 12 risk alleles; p < .0001). CONCLUSION: The increased prevalence of T2DM in the Roma population may have a background in different frequencies of the risk alleles of genes associated with T2DM development.

• Keywords
• Czech population, Roma population, T2DM, gene score, polymorphism,
• MeSH
• Adiposity MeSH
• Cholesterol blood   MeSH
• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 blood   ethnology   genetics   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Gene Frequency * MeSH
• Genetic Loci * MeSH
• Blood Glucose analysis   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Polymorphism, Genetic MeSH
• Roma genetics   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Cholesterol MeSH
• Blood Glucose MeSH

AIM: To replicate the finding that the polymorphism rs6971091 within the NYD-SP18 gene is associated with body mass index (BMI). METHOD: We analysed data of 29,284 adults (46.2% of males, mean age 58.9 (SD 7.3), mean BMI 28.6 (5.0 kg/m2)) examined within the Health Alcohol and Psychosocial Factors in Eastern Europe study in the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania and Russia. RESULTS: BMI did not differ by rs6971091 genotype. In men, the mean BMI (SEs) in GG, GA and AA carriers were 27.8 (0.05), 27.9 (0.06) and 27.9 (0.14) kg/m2, respectively, (p = 0.26); in women, the corresponding values were 29.2 (0.06), 29.1 (0.07) and 29.1 (0.16), p = 0.57. In Czech subjects (n = 6,752), for whom the FTO rs17817449 genotype was available, there was no interaction between the NYD-SP18 and FTO polymorphisms in determination of BMI. Adjustment for age, energy and fat intake and physical activity did not materially change the results. There was no association of the NYD-SP18 genotype with waist-hip ratio. CONCLUSION: This study in a large Slavonic population sample suggests that the rs6971091 variant within the NYD-SP18 gene is not an important determinant of obesity in middle-aged persons.

• MeSH
• Alleles MeSH
• Gene Frequency MeSH
• Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Genetic Predisposition to Disease MeSH
• Genetic Association Studies MeSH
• Body Mass Index MeSH
• Nuclear Proteins genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide * MeSH
• Cohort Studies MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Overweight blood   genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Obesity blood   genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Waist-Hip Ratio MeSH
• Registries MeSH
• Reproducibility of Results MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Check Tag
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Aged MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH
• Lithuania MeSH
• Poland MeSH
• Russia MeSH
• Names of Substances
• FAM71F1 protein, human MeSH Browser
• FTO protein, human MeSH Browser
• Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO MeSH
• Nuclear Proteins MeSH