• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.239-242
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• 2008

Obesity results from a combination of genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors. Uncoupling proteins (UCP) are members of the larger family of mitochondrial anion carrier proteins (MACP). UCP separates oxidative phosphorylation from ATP synthesis with energy dissipated as heat, also referred to as the mitochondrial proton leak. UCP facilitates the transfer of anions from the inner to the outer mitochondrial membrane and the return transfer of protons from the outer to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Therefore, we investigated the genotype for the G>A polymorphism at the position -866 of UCP2 gene in Koreans and compared genotype of patients with control group. 50 patients (Male 22, Female 28), who previously underwent type 2 diabetcs (T2DM) and 30 controls (Male 14, Female 16) participated in this study. There was a weak significant association between -866 G>A polymorphism in UCP2 gene and T2DM. The present study shows that UCP2 -866 G>A polymorphism may not be associated with the pathogenesis of T2DM as opposed to the previous reports in other countries. Further studies with larger population may be needed for the development of diagnostic methods at genetic level such as DNA chip.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.252-261
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• 2007

Background : Obesity is the most common nutritional disorder in Western society as well as in Korea. Obesity results from a combination of genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors. Materials and Methods : In an attempt to investigate the association of obesity with its candidate genes, ${\beta}3$ adrenergic receptor (${\beta}_3AR$) and uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2), we analyzed polymorphisms of ${\beta}_3AR$ Trp64Arg and UCP2 -866G/A by PCR-RFLP analysis and the obesity-related phenotypes, including body mass index (BMI), fasting glucose concentration, and plasma lipid profiles in 750 subjects. Results : The Trp64Arg polymorphism in the ${\beta}_3AR$ gene was not statistically associated with the BMI. The UCP2 -866G/A polymorphism was significantly higher in obese than in non-obese subjects (P<0.05). However, the UCP2 -866A/A polymorphism was higher in the non-obese subjects. Conclusion : These results suggest that the UCP2 -866G/A polymorphism might be more useful for the prediction of obesity and obesity-associated diseases in Korean patients than the ${\beta}_3AR$ Trp64Arg polymorphism.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.767-775
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• 2008

Uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) plays a major role in thermogenesis at brown adipose tissues and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity and metabolic disorders. The purpose of this study was to estimate the effects of A-3826G polymorphism in 117 Korean prepubertal children aged 8-11 years olds. Anthropometry by bioelectrical impedance analysis method, plasma lipid profiles by auto-biochemical analyzer and UCP-1 genotyping by PCR-RFLP were done. The frequencies of UCP-1 genotypes were AA; 17.7%, AG; 57.8%, GG; 26.6%. The frequencies of each G allele (55.5%) was similar to Japanese's (49%) and higher than Caucacian's (25%). No correlation UCP-1 polymorphism and BMI (kg/$m^2$) or the degree of obesity described by the relative percentiles of the standard weight according to height in prepubertal children. However, plasma total- and LDL-cholesterol were significantly increased in G allele when sex, age and weight were adjusted. Our results suggested that G allele of UCP-1 gene was stronger risk factors in hyperLDLcholesterolemia than A allele. This impact might be progressed as the precaution against the revalence of obesity based-metabolic disease.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.279-284
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• 2005

Uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) plays a major role in thermogenesis, and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity and metabolic disorders. The aim of this study was to estimate the effects of A-3826G polymorphism of UCP-1 gene on body fat distribution. Two hundred forty eight Korean female overweight subjects with BMI more than 25 kgfm2 participated in this study. The areas of abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat of all subjects were measured from computed tomography cross sectional pictures of the umbilical region. Subcutaneous fat areas of upper and lower thigh were also measured. Body composition was measured by bio-impedance analysis, and serum concentrations of biochemical parameters, such as glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol etc, were also measured. Genotype of UCP-1 was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method. The frequencies of UCP-1 genotypes were AA type; $27.8\%,\;AG\;type;\;51.2\%\;and\;GG\;type;\;21.0\%,$ and the frequency of G allele was 0.47. Body weight, BMI, WHR, SBP, DBP and body compositions were not significantly different by UCP-1 genotype. Abdominal visceral fat area was significantly higher in AG and GG type compared with AA type (p=0.009), but subcutaneous fat areas were not significantly different by UCP-1 genotype. Among biochemical parameters, LDL cholesterol level was significantly higher in GG type compared with AA and AG types (p=0.033). Among all subjects, 121 subjects finished 1 month weight loss program containing hypocaloric diet and exercise. The reduction of body weight and BMI were lower in GG type compared with AA/AG type even though statistical significances were not found (p > 0.05). These results suggest that UCP-1 genotype has a significant effect on visceral fat accumulation among Korean female overweight subjects with BMI more than $25\;kg/m^2$.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.59-73
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• 2006

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Uncoupling protein (UCP) polymorphisms on weight loss. We analyzed associations between polymorphisms of UCP-2, 3 and changes in percentage of obesity phenotypes (Body mass index and percent body fat) after treatment. Materials and Methods: A total of 207 Korean women (BMI over 25) were recruited from the obesity clinic in Kirin Oriental Medical Hospital (Seoul, Korea). All patients were treated with a very low calorie diet and oriental medical therapy for one month. The effect of UCP polymorphisms on changes in obesity-phenotypes were analyzed. For the genotyping of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), genomic DNA from each subject was extracted from whole blood and genotyped using the TaqMan Method. Associations between changes in percentage of obesity phenotypes (BMI and percent body fat) and UCP polymorphisms were analyzed using age-adjusted general linear model. Results and Conclusions: In this study, AG, GG type of UCP-2 -866A>G, CC, CT type of UCP-2 +4787C>T, CG, GG type of UCP-3 +2564C>G, AG, GG type of UCP-3 +3106A>G, and TC, CC type of UCP-3 +4589T>C played a role as a resistance gene to weight loss.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.224-235
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• 2009

This study aimed to research meal quality and the dietary behaviors of college students for desirable dietary lives and provides basic data for nutritional education by examining polymorphism distribution of the UCP2 gene according to gender, by investigating attitudes in terms of their dietary habits and dietary lives, and by analyzing serum lipid levels and body composition. A survey was conducted with a total of 222 students - 93 male and 129 females. Based on a selfreporting method, the questionnaires were answered over 20 minutes, and UCP2 insertion/deletion gene polymorphism and blood samples were also analyzed. The results showed that the male students and female students had average BMI of 22.50 and $20.73\;kg/m^2$, respectively. According to answers regarding their dietary lives, 51.4% of the students showed 'irregular eating' patterns, which is regarded as something to be corrected. In terms of eating regularity, 51.6% of the male students and 59.7% of the female students had irregular meal schedules. As the most important meal of a day, 64.0% of the students answered 'breakfast' but only 53.6% answered that they ate breakfast everyday. In addition, 39.8% of the male students and 50.4% of the female students ate between meals 'once a day'. When questioned if they were satisfied with their body shape, 17.8 and 45.2% of the male students answered they were 'satisfied' or needed to 'gain weight', respectively, whereas 17.8 and 77.5% of the female students answered they were 'satisfied' or needed to 'lose weight', respectively. The results of the UCP2 gene polymorphism analysis showed that 33.7% of the males belonged to the DI heterozygote group, 64.2% belonged to the DD homozygote group, and 2.1% belonged to the II homozygote group. For the female students, 63.4% belonged to the DI heterozygote group, 35.1% belonged to the DD homozygote group, and 1.5% belonged to the II homozygote group. According to the blood and serum lipid analyses, the male students showed average HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and hemoglobin levels of 57.20, 93.80, and 15.00 mg/dL, respectively, while the female students presented average levels of 56.69, 102.88, and 13.13 mg/dL, respectively. In conclusion, this study found no significant effects in terms of UCP2 gene polymorphisms, but it is suggested that practical plans must be designed that allow college students to use nutritional knowledge in their daily lives, and in particular, nutrition education needs to be develop that would enable female college students to recognize their bodies appropriately and to control their weight in desirable ways.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.404-413
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• 2007

This study was carried out to compare UCP2 polymorphism, dietary habits, and obesity index in normal and obese university students. The survey was carried out using self-questionnaires collected from the 126 normal and 60 obese university students. The results are summarized as follows. Breakfast was skipped in 43.7% of normal and 49.3% of obesity students and it appeared obese students eat faster than normal students. The percentage of weight control experience were 49.2 and 71.0 in the normal and obese students, respectively. Blood levels of lipid profiles(triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol), hemoglobin, AST and ALT were anaylzed. In UCP2 genes, the frequency of deletion homozygote(DD) was 71.5%, heterozygote(DI) was 26.9% and insertion homozygote(II) was 1.6%. Plasma levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol of normal students were 79.06, 172.25, 100.86 and 57.03 mg/dl, and those of obese students were 93.06, 173.22, 101.22 and 54.39 mg/dl, respectively. Blood parameters were in normal range in both group. Plasma triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels of obese students were higher than those of normal students. On the other hand, plasma HDL cholesterol levels of obese students were lower than those of normal students. Plasma levels of AST and ALT were in normal range in both group. However, AST and ALT levels of obese students were higher than that of normal students. Thus, it was recommended for them to have a nutritional education program to improve their dietary and living habits for obese students’health. Nutritional education program should also be organized practically and systematically.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.3.1-3.6
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• 2016

Background: Uncoupling proteins 2 (UCP2) plays an important role in energy regulation, previous studies suggested that UCP2 is an excellent candidate gene for human obesity and growth-related traits in cattle and chicks. The current study was designed to detect the genetic variation of UCP2 gene, and to explore the association between polymorphism of UCP2 gene and growth, carcass and meat quality traits in rabbits. Results: A synonymous mutation in exon 1 and four variants in the first intron of the UCP2 gene were identified by using PCR-sequencing. The synonymous mutation c.72G>A was subsequently genotyped by MassArray system (Sequenom iPLEXassay) in 248 samples from three meat rabbit breeds (94 Ira rabbits, 83 Champagne rabbits, and 71 Tianfu black rabbits). Association analysis suggested that the individuals with AA and AG genotypes showed greater 70 d body weight (P < 0.05), 84 d body weight (P < 0.01), ADG from 28 to 84 days of age (P < 0.05), eviscerated weight (P < 0.01), semi-eviscerated weight (P < 0.01) and semi-eviscerated slaughter percentage (P < 0.05), respectively. Additionally, the individuals with AA and AG genotype had a lower pH value of longissimus muscle (P < 0.01) and hind leg muscle (P < 0.05) after slaughter 24 h. Conclusions: These findings indicated that UCP2 could be a candidate gene that associated with growth performance, body composition and meat quality in rabbits, and this would contribute to advancements in meat rabbit breeding practice.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.221-227
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• 2002

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of a weight loss program on the degree of obesity and levels of resting energy expenditure (REE) in overweight subjects according to their mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP 2) genotype. Twenty-three subjects with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 27 were recruited from the Obesity Clinic of the Kyung-Hee University Hospital during the period of December 2000 - August 2001. The subjects were genotyped for the exon 8 allele; 15 subjects were found to be of del/del genotype, 8 were del/ins, and none were of ins/ins genotype. No significant association was found between the different UCP 2 genotypes and the initial levels of weight, fat mass (FM), lean body mess (LBM), BMI, REE, and REE/LBM ratio. After 12 weeks of a weight loss program, body weight and FM were significantly decreased, while LBM, total body water (TBW), and REE were not changed, irrespective of UCP 2 genotype. Initial fasting plasma levels of albumin, glucose, triglyceride, lipoprotein cholesterol, insulin, free triiodo-thyronine (T3), free fatty acid (FFA), and leptin were not different according to the UCP 2 genotype; furthermore, these blood parameters were not changed after the 12-week weight loss program. However, plasma levels of leptin decreased in both the del/del and ins/del genotypes, from 18.7 ng/ml to 13.4 ng/ml (p<.05), and from 18.1 ng/ml to 13.9 ng/ml (p＜.05), respectively, after the weight loss program. In conclusion, this study found no significant association between the del/del or del/ins UCP 2 genotypes and differing levels of REE or differing degrees of obesity, either before or after a weight loss program. This study provided evidence that a well- managed weight loss program could maintain levels of REE, which plays an important role in the maintenance of energy balance.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.8 s.88
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• pp.1075-1081
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• 2007

We investigated whether 1) capsaicin ingestion (100 mg) enhances autonomic nervous system (ANS) activities associated with thermogenic sympathetic activity as energy metabolic modulator, 2) UCP1 and ${\beta}_{3}$-AR variants of each subjects influence with ANS activity. Eight healthy males (24.7 ${\pm}$ 1.8 yr) volunteered for this study. The cardiac autonomic nervous activities evaluated by means of heart rate variability of power spectral analysis and energy metabolism were continuously measured during 5-min rest for total 90-min resting condition with placebo or capsaicin oral administration chosen at random. The results indicated that there were no significant differences in heart rate during rest between both trials. Autonomic nervous activity increased in capsaicin tablet trial, but the difference did not reach the statistical significance. Capsaicin, however, induced significantly lower respiratory gas exchange ratio at Test3 (CAP: 0.80 ${\pm}$ 0.02 vs. 0.85 ${\pm}$ 0.02), means ${\pm}$ SE, p<0.05). In conclusion, it may be suggested the capsaicin consumption as a valuable supplement for the treatment of individual with hyperlipidemia and/or obesity by improving lipolysis. Further studies will also be considered genetic variants such as UCP1 and/or ${\beta}_{3}$-AR associated with obesity.