Common genetic variants linked to arthritis may also play a role in human height, a new study reports, published on-line in Nature Genetics.
The international study co-led by the University of Michigan observed a connection between decreased height and increased risk of osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis. Researchers speculate that both extremes of height may be associated with osteoarthritis for different reasons. Shorter bones and/or less cartilage may render the joints more susceptible to damage, while longer bones may produce greater levels of damaging stress on the joints.
Many genes are involved in height but very few in osteoarthritis.
The genomes of more than 35,000 people were examined and the researchers initially examined the effects of more than 2 million genetic variants.
The variants most strongly associated with height lie in a region of the human genome thought to influence expression of a gene for growth differentiation factor 5, called GDF5, which is a protein involved in the development of cartilage in the legs and other long bones. Rare variants in the GDF5 gene have been associated with disorders of skeletal development, and more common variants recently have been tied to susceptibility to osteoarthritis of the hip and knees in Asian and European populations.
The findings also add to the general understanding of height.
http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=6262
Elaine Warburton
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