Australian researchers have discovered a gene in worms that could be the key to developing the world's first obesity treatment.
Scientists from Melbourne's Monash University, in collaboration with a team from the University of Copenhagen, discovered a gene in worms that could help break the cycle of over-eating and under-exercising that leads to obesity.
The researchers found that the gene, known as ETS-5, was responsible for triggering a feeling of fullness within worms, as well as the need to sleep after eating.
A similar gene exists within humans, opening up the possibility of developing a drug that could cause the gene to trigger the feeling of fullness from smaller portions.
Roger Pocock, lead author of the study which was published in the prestigious US journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, on Tuesday, explained that when the intestines store enough fat, the worm's brain receives a message to stop moving, effectively putting it to sleep.
"When animals are malnourished, they seek out food by roaming their environment. When they're well fed, they have no need to roam, and when they're fully sated, they enter a sleep-like state," Pocock said in a media release on Tuesday.
The study focused on the Caenorhabditis elegans, commonly known as the roundworm, due to the simplicity of its brain. The roundworm brain contains 302 neurons and 8,000 synapses, compared to billions of neurons and 100 trillion synapses in the human brain.
Despite the vast difference in brain complexity, Pocock said humans and roundworms share up to 80 percent of their genes, as well as half the known genes that are involved in human diseases.
"Because roundworms share so many genes with humans, they are a great model system to investigate and gain a better understanding of processes like metabolism as well as diseases in humans," he said.
"The ETS family of genes is present in humans and has previously been linked to obesity regulation. Now that we've learned this gene family controls food intake through a feedback system to the brain, it represents a credible drug target for the treatment of obesity."
In a recent study published by The Lancet, China has surpassed the US to become the country with the most obese people, with 43.2 million men and 46.4 million women, but the US still has the highest obesity rate and the most severe levels of obesity. BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a common measure, in which a figure of over 30 is defined as being overweight.
Childhood and adolescent obesity has become a major concern in China, and it is mostly contributed to improved wealth and living conditions, as well as the popularity of fast food, as many researchers believe.
Source: Silver Star Diabetes
(Source: Xinhua, with inputs from The Lancet, IHME and South China Morning Post)
