PET PET
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Become a Friend Donate
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements
PETBioNewsNewsTwo studies identify genetic influences underlying obesity

BioNews

Two studies identify genetic influences underlying obesity

Published 9 June 2009 posted in News and appears in BioNews 467

Author

Dr Rachael Panizzo

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.

Researchers at Imperial College London have identified a genetic link to obesity. Comparing the DNA of over 13,000 obese individuals to the DNA of non-obese control subjects, they identified three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PCSK1 gene that were associated with obesity. The SNPs - single 'letter...

Researchers at Imperial College London have identified a genetic link to obesity. Comparing the DNA of over 13,000 obese individuals to the DNA of non-obese control subjects, they identified three SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) in the PCSK1 gene that were associated with obesity. The SNPs - single 'letter' mutations in the DNA code of the PCSK1 gene - were more common in individuals who were obese than in the normal weight controls. The three SNPs identified in the study were also associated with childhood obesity, as well as less extreme weight gain.


The PCSK1 gene is an enzyme that converts inactive appetite-controlling hormones into their active form. PCSK1 also controls the hormones insulin and glucagon, which regulate the metabolism of sugars and carbohydrates in the body. Professor Philippe Froguel, who led the study, suggested that the SNPs may be responsible for altering the PCSK1 gene to a more active form, which could alter appetite levels in the body.


Most genes associated with obesity have been linked to rare genetic conditions that lead to extreme weight gain, and these genetic mutations are not common in the general population. 'This is the first time that we have found a strong link between common mutations and common obesity in the PCSK1 gene', said Professor Froguel. 'We all react differently to an environment that is becoming more and more similar, and the reason we react differently is in part genetic in origin'.


In another study, US researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, showed that the environment in the womb during the development of the fetus may increase its risk of obesity in adulthood, and that this effect can be curtailed through diet. In the International Journal of Obesity, Dr Robert Waterland and his team reported that mice with a genetic predisposition to overeating and obesity generate increasingly obese offspring with each successive generation. They suggested that the mother's diet during pregnancy was influencing the genes regulating metabolism and appetite in her offspring through epigenetic mechanisms.


Epigenetics refers to changes that affect gene activity in the body, without altering the DNA sequence of genes. One such mechanism is DNA methylation, which, through the addition a methyl group genetic tag to a gene, can switch gene activity 'off'.


To test whether epigenetic mechanisms were influencing the tendency for increasing obesity in successive generations, the research team fed the pregnant mice either a normal diet, or a diet rich in vitamins and folic acid, which is known to promote DNA methylation. The offspring from mothers who were fed a vitamin-enriched diet remained the same weight as the previous generations, whereas the offspring from mothers on a normal diet continued the trans-generational amplification of body weight. The researchers speculated that this could be because the folic acid and vitamins were promoting DNA methylation in the hypothalamus - a brain region associated with appetite and hunger - which was silencing appetite genes in the offspring. 'Why is everyone getting heavier and heavier? Maternal obesity could be promoting obesity in the next generation', Dr Waterland said.

Related Articles

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
7 April 2014 • 2 minutes read

Obesity linked to genetic variation in carbohydrate digestion

by James Brooks

Obesity might not simply be a matter of overeating or heightened appetite but at least partially down to how we metabolise food, a study says...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
20 February 2013 • 2 minutes read

Study finds weak link between womb environment and childhood body size - but is reported otherwise

by Vicki Kay

A child's body size may be influenced by genetic modifications that occur in the womb, a new study claims. Scientists found a weak link between specific DNA modifications — called epigenetic marks — present at birth and the child's height at age nine. Several news sources, however, incorrectly reported a link with childhood obesity.

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
11 January 2013 • 2 minutes read

Genes affect weight gain from fatty diets

by Ruth Retassie

Genes play a role in weight gain resulting from diets high in fat and sugar content, say scientists...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
23 November 2012 • 2 minutes read

Gene linked to obesity also associated with depression

by Dr Nikki Davis

A gene linked to obesity may also provide protection from major depression, say scientists...

Image by Christoph Bock/Max Planck Institute for Informatics via Wikimedia Commons. Depicts a DNA molecule that is methylated on both strands on the centre cytosine.
CC BY-SA 3.0
Image by Christoph Bock/Max Planck Institute for Informatics via Wikimedia Commons. Depicts a DNA molecule that is methylated on both strands on the centre cytosine.
News
7 January 2011 • 2 minutes read

Mice affected by what their dad ate

by Dr Sophie Pryor

A father's diet can affect the way his offspring's genes function, according to the authors of a study on mice. Scientists found information about the diet of male mice can be passed to their offspring, causing changes to the 'switching on and off' of genes involved in processes like metabolism. The research could one day help identify people at higher risk of illnesses like diabetes and heart disease...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 2 minutes read

Half carry obesity genetic variation

by Ailsa Stevens

Half of the UK population may be at increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease, due to a genetic variation which makes carriers prone to weight gain, according to a study published in the journal Nature Genetics last week. The researchers, based at Imperial...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 2 minutes read

Obesity in children is largely genetic, say scientists

by Dr Charlotte Maden

A group of UK scientists has confirmed that there are genetic links to child obesity. The researchers, from the Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre at University College London, studied 5,092 pairs of twins aged between eight and 11. They looked at identical twins, who have...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 2 minutes read

Scientists gain insight into how obesity gene works

by Ailsa Stevens

Scientists have moved a step closer to understanding how a gene previously linked to obesity makes people prone to weight gain, according to a study published last week in the journal Science. The discovery may help scientists to develop new treatments to combat the increasing numbers of...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 1 minute read

Common gene variant affects risk of obesity

by Dr Jess Buxton

UK researchers have discovered that a common gene variant helps explain why some people are more prone to gaining excess weight than others. Adults and children with two copies of a particular version of the FTO gene are, on average, three kilograms heavier than people who...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« 70-year-old claimed to be world's oldest mother

Data-Label The UK's Leading Supplier Of Medical Labels & Asset Labels

RetiringDentist.co.uk The UK's Leading M&A Company.

Find out how you can advertise here
easyfundraising
amazon

This month in BioNews

  • Popular
  • Recent
8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Placenta and organ formation observed in mouse embryo models

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Lower hormone doses may improve IVF egg quality

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Boosting muscle cell production of gene therapy proteins

1 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

First UK medical guidelines issued for trans fertility preservation

1 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Male age has more impact on IVF birth rate than previously thought

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Placenta and organ formation observed in mouse embryo models

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Complex structures of the human heart bioengineered

8 August 2022 • 1 minute read

Brain tumour gene also linked to childhood cancers

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Lower hormone doses may improve IVF egg quality

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Boosting muscle cell production of gene therapy proteins

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
PET PET

PET is an independent charity that improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • BioNews
  • Events
  • Engagement
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us

BioNews

  • News
  • Comment
  • Reviews
  • Elsewhere
  • Topics
  • Glossary
  • Newsletters

Other

  • My Account
  • Subscribe

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856