Height genes may provide clues to cure for cancer

Treatments for cancer and arthritis could be improved by new research identifying 20 sections of genetic code linked to height.

The genetic variants, which can make a difference of up to six centimetres (2.3 ins), provide insights into how the body develops normally.

Unlike other body size characteristics such as obesity, which is caused by a relatively even mix of genetic and environmental factors, 90% of normal variation in human height is thought to be down to genetic factors.

Last year, scientists identified the first common gene variant to affect height, but it made a difference of only 0.5cm.

In the latest research, scientists analysed DNA from 30,000 people across Europe, including participants in the Wellcome Trust's case control consortium, the biggest study ever undertaken into the genetics of common diseases.

They identified 20 regions of the genome, also known as loci, which influence how tall a person becomes; having all or a majority of them can result in an extra six centimetres in height.

The results, published yesterday in Nature Genetics, mean that scientists now know of several dozen genes and genetic regions that influence height.

"The number and variety of genetic regions that we have found show that height is not just caused by a few genes operating in the long bones," said Tim Frayling of the Peninsula medical school, Exeter, who led the study.

"Instead, our research implicates genes that could shed light on a whole range of important biological processes. By identifying which genes affect normal growth, we can begin to understand the processes that lead to abnormal growth - not just height disorders but also tumour growth, for example."

Half of the new loci contain genes whose functions are already known. Many regulate how cells divide and have implications for the understanding of how cancers grow. Other genetic regions are known to be important in how embryos develop or act as master switches to switch other genes on and off.

Of particular interest is a gene already implicated in osteoarthritis, the most common form of the condition that involves wear and tear of the body's tissues.

But scientists are unclear of the function of the other half of the newly identified genetic regions.

They compared their discovery to that of the FTO gene last year, which was the first common gene found for obesity. Though it has been linked to weight gain, researchers do not know what the function of the gene actually is.

Mike Weedon, another author of the paper based who is at Peninsula, said: "There may be more than a hundred genes which affect our height. The challenge ... is to understand how they influence growth in the body. This could open up new avenues for treating a range of diseases."

Source - The Guardian

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