Fuente: WIPO "biotechnology" Provided herein are methods for prognosing and diagnosing fat deposition and related disorders (e.g., obesity and non­insulin diabetes dependent mellitus (NIDDM)) in a subject, reagents and kits for carrying out the methods, methods for identifying candidate therapeutics for reducing fat deposition and related disorders, and therapeutic methods for reducing fat deposition or treating fat deposition related disorders in a subject. These embodiments are based in part upon an analysis of polymorphic variations of the nucleic acid set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1.