Jul 09, 2021 17:00:00

It turns out that 1 in 3000 people may have a 'gene that makes it difficult to gain weight'

There are people in the world who can't lose weight even if they try hard to lose weight, people who can lose weight without doing anything, or people who want to gain weight but don't gain weight. There is. Research has discovered 'hard-to-fat genes' that may determine these differences.

Sequencing of 640,000 exomes identifies GPR75 variants associated with protection from obesity | Science

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/373/6550/eabf8683.full

Massive DNA study finds rare gene variants that protect against obesity | Science | AAAS

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/07/massive-dna-study-finds-rare-gene-variants-protect-against-obesity

Parsa Akbari and his colleagues, who belong to the genetics research institute of the pharmaceutical company Regeneron , have targeted 645,626 people in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Mexico to the part where the genetic information in the base sequence of the gene is encoded, Exxon . We focused on the analysis. This technique, called exome analysis , can identify disease-related genes at a lower cost and more efficiently than whole-genome analysis, and Akbari and colleagues have identified mutations in genes related to obesity.

As a result of the analysis, Akbari et al., Of the 16 genes related to BMI , 5 expressed on the cell surface of G protein-coupled receptors affect body weight, all of which are brain regions that regulate hunger and metabolism. We found that it occurs in the hypothalamus.

Furthermore, it was found that a mutation in the part of the five genes

called 'GPR75 ' has a large effect on BMI, and the weight of those who have a mutation that inactivates a copy of this GPR75 is compared with that of those who do not. The average weight was 5.3 kg, and the probability of being obese was half. In addition, when both mice that inhibited GPR75 replication and normal mice were fed a high-fat diet, it was found that mice that inhibited GPR75 replication were 44% lighter in body weight and more sensitive to insulin.

Akbari et al. 'I don't know if mouse weight changes are the result of energy consumption or intake, but GPR75 is involved in the control of energy balance, and inhibition of its replication causes weight loss. It has been proved this time to do it. ' However, Akbari et al. Estimate that 'only 1 in 3000 people have a mutant that inactivates GPR75.' I hope that GPR75 may be the focus of attention in drug discovery.