Publication Date:
2010-04-03
Description:
An intronic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs9939609) close to the fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) was the first SNP to be discovered with common variants linked to body mass index; at least seven studies in humans have implicated this SNP with variations in food intake and satiety, and four studies have rejected an effect on energy expenditure normalized for body weight. Fischer et al. recently constructed a mouse in which the homologous Fto gene was inactivated (Fto(-/-)) and showed that these mice were protected from obesity. This observation strongly implicates the effects of the intronic SNP rs9939609 as arising due to an effect on the closest gene (FTO). However, the suggested mechanism underlying this effect in mice was opposite to that in humans. The Fto(-/-) mice showed no significant differences in food intake relative to wild-types litter-mates but had an elevated metabolic rate. The apparent contrasting effects of the gene in humans and mice is worthy of closer investigation.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Speakman, John R -- England -- Nature. 2010 Apr 1;464(7289):E1; discussion E2. doi: 10.1038/nature08807.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, Scotland, UK. j.speakman@abdn.ac.uk〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20360686" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
Animals
;
Eating/genetics/*physiology
;
Energy Intake/genetics/physiology
;
Energy Metabolism/genetics/*physiology
;
Female
;
Humans
;
Hyperphagia/genetics
;
Introns/genetics
;
Male
;
Mice
;
Mixed Function Oxygenases
;
Obesity/genetics
;
Oxo-Acid-Lyases/deficiency/genetics/*metabolism
;
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics
;
Proteins/genetics/*metabolism
;
Thinness/genetics
Print ISSN:
0028-0836
Electronic ISSN:
1476-4687
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
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