Molly
S. Bray, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Baylor College of Medicine
mbray@bcm.tmc.edu
Genetics of Obesity, Leanness, and Exercise
Research Interests: Molecular and genetic basis of obesity; genetic analysis of complex traits; gene-environment interaction; physical activity/exercise physiology; adipogenesis; genetics of response to obesity interventions
The research in my laboratory is aimed at understanding how genetic variation can interact with both physiological and physical environments to influence human disease.
My work is particularly focused on understanding the genetic basis of obesity using both statistical and experimental models. My lab is currently genotyping several large cohorts of obese and lean individuals for candidate polymorphisms within genes related to obesity and cardiovascular disease using advanced high throughput genotyping techniques. We are analyzing this genetic variation for association to obesity and related quantitative traits within the context of environmental factors. Our work also includes investigation of genetic factors that influence responsivity to exercise training in a multi-racial population of students from the University of Houston . Experimental work in my lab involves investigation of gene expression in rodent obesity models in order to determine how and at what level metabolism is altered changes in adipose tissue.
Representative Publications:
Sturgeon JD, Folsom AR, Bray MS, Boerwinkle E, Ballantyne CM; Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study Investigators. Apolipoprotein E genotype and incident ischemic stroke: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Stroke. 2005 Nov;36(11):2484-6. Epub 2005 Oct 6.
Durgan DJ, Hotze MA, Tomlin TM, Egbejimi O, Graveleau C, Abel ED, Shaw CA, Bray MS, Hardin PE, Young ME. The intrinsic circadian clock within the cardiomyocyte. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2005 Oct;289(4):H1530-41. Epub 2005 Jun 3.
Fornage M, Lee CR, Doris PA, Bray MS, Heiss G, Zeldin DC, Boerwinkle E. The soluble epoxide hydrolase gene harbors sequence variation associated with susceptibility to and protection from incident ischemic stroke. Hum Mol Genet. 2005 Oct 1;14(19):2829-37. Epub 2005 Aug 22.
Heck AL, Bray MS, Scott A, Blanton SH, Hecht JT. Variation in CASP10 gene is associated with idiopathic talipes equinovarus. J Pediatr Orthop. 2005 Sep-Oct;25(5):598-602.
Fornage M, Jacobs DR, Steffes MW, Gross MD, Bray MS, Schreiner PJ. Inverse effects of the PPAR(gamma)2 Pro12Ala polymorphism on measures of adiposity over 15 years in African Americans and whites. The CARDIA study. Metabolism. 2005 Jul;54(7):910-7.
Hsu CC, Kao WH, Coresh J, Pankow JS, Marsh-Manzi J, Boerwinkle E, Bray MS. Apolipoprotein E and progression of chronic kidney disease. JAMA. 2005 Jun 15;293(23):2892-9.
Wolfarth B, Bray MS, Hagberg JM, Perusse L, Rauramaa R, Rivera MA, Roth SM, Rankinen T, Bouchard C. The human gene map for performance and health-related fitness phenotypes: the 2004 update. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2005 Jun;37(6):881-903. Review.
Blair CK, Folsom AR, Knopman DS, Bray MS, Mosley TH, Boerwinkle E; Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study Investigators. APOE genotype and cognitive decline in a middle-aged cohort. Neurology. 2005 Jan 25;64(2):268-76.
Stavinoha MA, RaySpellicy JW, Essop MF, Graveleau C, Abel ED, Hart-Sailors ML, Mersmann HJ, Bray MS, Young ME. Evidence for mitochondrial thioesterase 1 as a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha-regulated gene in cardiac and skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Nov;287(5):E888-95. Epub 2004 Aug 3.
Stavinoha MA, Rayspellicy JW, Hart-Sailors ML, Mersmann HJ, Bray MS, Young ME. Diurnal variations in the responsiveness of cardiac and skeletal muscle to fatty acids. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Nov;287(5):E878-87. Epub 2004 Aug 3.
Heck AL, Barroso CS, Callie ME, Bray MS. Gene-nutrition interaction in human performance and exercise response. Nutrition. 2004 Jul-Aug;20(7-8):598-602. Review.
Miller EA, Pankow JS, Millikan RC, Bray MS, Ballantyne CM, Bell DA, Heiss G, Li R. Glutathione-S-transferase genotypes, smoking, and their association with markers of inflammation, hemostasis, and endothelial function: the atherosclerosis risk in communities (ARIC) study. Atherosclerosis. 2003 Dec;171(2):265-72.
Kao WH, Coresh J, Shuldiner AR, Boerwinkle E, Bray MS, Brancati FL; Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Pro12Ala of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma2 gene is associated with lower serum insulin levels in nonobese African Americans: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Diabetes. 2003 Jun;52(6):1568-72.
Bray MS, Doris PA. Genotyping by mass spectrometry. Genet Eng (N Y). 2003;25:1-14.
Bray MS . (2003) "Genetic and Environmental Factors in Cardiovascular Disease" in Human Genome Epidemiology, MJ Khoury, J Little, and W Burke, eds. Oxford University Press, New York , New York
Olshan AF, Li R, Pankow JS, Bray M, Tyroler HA, Chambless LE, Boerwinkle E, Pittman GS, Bell DA. (2003) Risk of atherosclerosis: interaction of smoking and glutathione S-transferase genes. Epidemiology. 4:321-7
Bray MS (2002) Molecular and Genetic Basis of Obesity. Sem Plastic Surg . 16:187-194.
Bray MS (2000) Genomics, Genes, and Environmental Interaction: The Role of Exercise. J Appl Physiol 88:788-792.
Bray MS, Boerwinkle E (2000) The Role of b 2-Adrenergic Receptor Variation in Human Hypertension Curr Hyperten Rpts 2:39-43.
Bray MS, Boerwinkle E, Hanis CL (2000) Sequence variation within the neuropeptide Y gene and association with body fat patterning in Mexican Americans. Obesity Research, 8:219-226.
Bray MS, Li L, Turner ST, Kardia SLR, Boerwinkle E (2000 ) Association and Linkage Analysis of the a -Adducin Gene and Blood Pressure . Am J Hyperten. 13:699-703.
Bray MS, Krushkal J, Li L, Ferrell R, Sing CF, Turner
ST , Boerwinkle E (2000) Positional genomic analysis
identifies b 2 adrenergic receptor as susceptibility
locus to human hypertension. Circulation 101:2877-2882.
