Gene For Weight Loss May Lead To Therapy

US and French researchers have found a gene, called UCP2, which could becentral to the control of the deposition of body fat, according to Nature Genetics (March issue).

The gene codes for uncoupling protein 2, and is present in all tissues and at high levels in white adipose tissue and muscle. Drug companies are already working on another gene target, UCP1, but this is only present in brown fat, which is sparse in adults. There is evidence that UCP2 is underactive in a strain of obesity-prone mice compared to a lean strain.

Drug firms "are hovering like vultures over the finding," according to one obesity researcher.