It’s in the Genes- yes! Scientists have finally found out the reason behind the problem which is affecting more and more people worldwide- Obesity. According to a study done by a group of scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, certain genes are responsible for storing fats in cells thereby making people prone to obesity and associated problems.
In an earlier discovery, certain genes were identified which synthesize fat in cells. But what actually made fat store in the cells is a basic question that scientists have been looking to answer for long now. The genes actually package the fat inside a layer of phospholipids and proteins, thereby making them form lipid droplets which enable cells to use fat as an energy source, but acquiring them in excess leads to obesity.
The discovery indicates role of two genes called as FIT1 and FIT2 (for Fat-Inducing Transcripts 1 and 2) as responsible for storing fat into the lipid droplets. In an intensive study it was found out that the gene codes for proteins that are more than 200 amino acids in length and the two genes identified were same, at least 50 percent. The newly discovered FIT genes had amino acid sequences which did not match any other known proteins in any species, making them different form anything known till now.
Series of experiments were carried out on human cells, mouse fat cells and zebra fish. The conclusion remained the same that the newly discovered FIT genes definitely plays an important role in lipid drop formation. In an experiment on human cells, scientists over expressed both the genes, and the result was as astonishing as the discovery of genes itself. The rate of fat synthesis remained the same but the formation of lipid droplets increased as much as 4-6 times!
The finding is an important link to understand obesity as Dr. Silver explains,
Now that we’ve identified the genes and the proteins they code for, it should be possible to develop drugs that can regulate their expression or activity. Such drugs could prove extremely valuable, not only for treating the main result of excess lipid droplet accumulation-obesity–but for alleviating the serious disorders that arise from obesity including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
The study will be available online in an early issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, dated December 17 to 21.
Via: Phyorg
