Introduction: The hormone resistin was recently discovered in adipose tissue of mice. Functional tests suggest a role for resistin in the regulation of insulin sensitivity. However, human studies have reported controversial results on the metabolic function of this hormone.
Methods: A 1 g omental adipose tissue biopsy was obtained from 404 adult baboons. Resistin mRNA expression was assayed by real-time, quantitative RT-PCR, and univariate and bivariate quantitative genetic analyses were performed, via the variance decomposition approach. A genome scan analysis was conducted using resistin mRNA abundance in omental adipose tissue as a quantitative phenotype.
Results: A significant heritability of h2 = 0.23 (P = 0.003) was found for resistin mRNA abundance in omental adipose tissue. A genome scan detected a quantitative trait locus for resistin expression with an LOD score of 3.8, in the region between markers D19S431 and D19S714, corresponding to human chromosome 19 p13. This chromosomal region contains genes related to insulin resistance phenotypes, such as resistin, insulin receptor, angiopoietin-like 4 protein and LDL receptor.
Conclusions: Individual variation in resistin mRNA expression has a significant genetic component, and a gene or genes on chromosome 19 p13 may regulate resistin mRNA levels in baboon omental adipose tissue.