New function of obesity gene revealed
In research published by the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists at Harvard and MIT found that by tweaking certain pieces of the DNA code in the gene region responsible for coding the fat mass and obesity-associated protein, known popularly as the “FTO gene” or the “obesity gene”, they could cause the body to accelerate metabolism and burn excess fat that otherwise would have remained stored.
The FTO region harbours the strongest genetic association with obesity, yet the basis of this association remains elusive. To test how faulty genetics were at play in weight gain, the researchers took fat samples from Europeans holding both the variant of the FTO gene region linked to obesity and a normal FTO gene. They discovered that, in those with obesity, the DNA code of the FTO gene was activating two other associated genes, IRX3 and IRX5. Those genes, in turn, were preventing fat from being burnt through a process known as thermogenesis, where fat cells get rid of energy in the form of heat, instead of storing it as fat. This happens naturally in those with healthy FTO gene regions.
Testing on mice using the Crispr/Cas9 system, which edits the faulty DNA code to the correct sequence, the scientists were able to install the correct code, thereby preventing the body from storing excess fat. The process has so far proved successful in reversing obesity in mice, but is yet to be tested on humans.
