It was found out which gene is "responsible" for obesity and diabetes development
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University found that CREB-regulated coactivator of transcription 1 (CRTC1) is associated with obesity.The study showed that mice that had CRTC1 deleted began to gain weight. Scientists concluded that the functioning gene suppresses obesity. However, because it is expressed in all neurons in the brain, the specific neurons responsible for suppressing obesity and the mechanism present in these neurons remain unknown.
CREB-regulated coactivator of transcription 1 (CRTC1) is a protein encoded by the CRTC1 gene in humans. It has been found in the fetal brain and liver, as well as in the heart, skeletal muscles, liver, salivary glands, and numerous parts of the CNS in adults.
Professor Shigenobu Matsumura of the Graduate School of Human Life and Ecology and his research team studied how CRTC1 suppresses the mechanism of obesity. They focused on neurons expressing the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R).
Mutations of the MC4R gene are known to cause obesity, so the scientists hypothesized that expressing CRTC1 in neurons expressing MC4R would reduce obesity. They investigated the effects of CRTC1 loss on obesity and diabetes in special mice.
It turned out that animals deprived of CRTC1 in neurons expressing MC4R did not differ from control mice in body weight on a normal diet. However, when CRTC1-deficient mice were raised on a high-fat diet, they overeated, then became significantly more obese than control mice and developed diabetes.