Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32492392›Full record

ArticleCell metabolism2020

Exome Sequencing Identifies Genes and Gene Sets Contributing to Severe Childhood Obesity, Linking PHIP Variants to Repressed POMC Transcription.

Gaëlle Marenne, Audrey E Hendricks, Aliki Perdikari, Rebecca Bounds, Felicity Payne, Julia M Keogh, Christopher J Lelliott, Elana Henning, Saad Pathan, Sofie Ashford and 12 more

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cell metabolism, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 57 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
57citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.5field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

57 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Hypothalamic obesity.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2026
    Review
  7. Systematic common and rare variant association testing in 392,030 whole genomes inmedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026
    Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Chung-Jansen Syndrome.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors at 7 institutions in 4 countries.

Gaëlle MarenneWellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK; Inserm, Univ Brest, EFS, UMR 1078, GGB, 29200 Brest, France.
Audrey E HendricksWellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK; Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA.
Aliki PerdikariUniversity of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Rebecca BoundsUniversity of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Felicity PayneWellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.
Julia M KeoghUniversity of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Christopher J LelliottWellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.
Elana HenningUniversity of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Saad PathanUniversity of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Sofie AshfordUniversity of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Elena G BochukovaUniversity of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Vanisha MistryUniversity of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Allan DalyWellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.
Caroline HaywardMRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Generation Scotland, Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
INTERVAL, UK10K Consortium
Nicholas J WarehamUniversity of Cambridge MRC Epidemiology Unit, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Stephen O'RahillyMRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Claudia LangenbergUniversity of Cambridge MRC Epidemiology Unit, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Eleanor WheelerWellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK; University of Cambridge MRC Epidemiology Unit, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Eleftheria ZegginiWellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK; Institute of Translational Genomics, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
I Sadaf FarooqiUniversity of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK. Electronic address: isf20@cam.ac.uk.
Inês BarrosoWellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK; University of Cambridge MRC Epidemiology Unit, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK. Electronic address: ines.barroso@exeter.ac.uk.
Addenbrooke's Hospital · GBWellcome Sanger Institute · GBUniversity of Cambridge · GBWellcome/MRC Institute of Metabolic Science · GBMRC Epidemiology Unit · GBHelmholtz Zentrum München · DEMRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine · GB

Funding

British Heart Foundation RG/13/13/30194British Heart Foundation RG/18/13/33946British Heart Foundation SP/09/002Chief Scientist OfficeDepartment of Health BTRU-2014-10024Medical Research Council MC_PC_13046Medical Research Council MC_UU_00006/1Medical Research Council MC_UU_00007/10Medical Research Council MC_UU_00014/5Medical Research Council MC_UU_12012/5Medical Research Council MC_UU_12015/1Medical Research Council MR/L003120/1Wellcome Trust 206194Wellcome Trust 207462/Z/17/ZWellcome Trust 208363/Z/17/ZWellcome Trust WT091310Wellcome Trust WT098051
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Obesity is genetically heterogeneous with monogenic and complex polygenic forms. Using exome and targeted sequencing in 2,737 severely obese cases and 6,704 controls, we identified three genes (PHIP, DGKI, and ZMYM4) with an excess burden of very rare predicted deleterious variants in cases. In cells, we found that nuclear PHIP (pleckstrin homology domain interacting protein) directly enhances transcription of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), a neuropeptide that suppresses appetite. Obesity-associated PHIP variants repressed POMC transcription. Our demonstration that PHIP is involved in human energy homeostasis through transcriptional regulation of central melanocortin signaling has potential diagnostic and therapeutic implications for patients with obesity and developmental delay. Additionally, we found an excess burden of predicted deleterious variants involving genes nearest to loci from obesity genome-wide association studies. Genes and gene sets influencing obesity with variable penetrance provide compelling evidence for a continuum of causality in the genetic architecture of obesity, and explain some of its missing heritability.

Indexed as

AdultAnimalsCells, CulturedChildChlorocebus aethiopsExomeFemaleGenetic VariationHumansIntracellular Signaling Peptides and ProteinsMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMiddle AgedPediatric ObesityPro-OpiomelanocortinIntracellular Signaling Peptides and ProteinsPHIP protein, humanPro-Opiomelanocortinassociationfunctiongene setgeneticsPOMCsevere childhood obesity

Identifiers

PMID32492392
PMCPMC7267775
OpenAlexW3031986712

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.