Potential anti-obesity gene targets in mice

Scientists from Iceland's deCODE genetics and US drug major Merck & Co have helped identify three new genes linked to obesity and have discovered how certain other genes act in networks to increase the risk of developing the condition, paving the way for future drug targets.

In two related studies, both published in the March 16 on-line edition of the journal Nature, researchers from industry and academia used large-scale analyses of data on DNA variations, gene expression patterns in disease-relevant tissues and clinical data to identify molecular networks underlying metabolic disorders. In the first trial, Merck researchers and colleagues from the University of California at Los Angeles, USA, used liver and fat tissue samples from mice to identify genetic variations associated with obesity, diabetes and atherosclerosis. The authors then constructed gene networks and identified core groups of genes in these networks that were causally related to relevant traits associated with obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Based on various analyses, the authors identified and experimentally validated three novel genes causally related to obesity traits: Lpl, Pmp1l and Lactb.

In the second study, which was based on methods developed in the mouse investigation, researchers from Merck, deCODE Genetics and the National University, Iceland, constructed gene expression networks associated with obesity traits using blood and fat tissue samples and clinical data from more than 1,000 people in Iceland. A gene expression network constructed from human fat tissue contained a similar core group of genes found to be causally related to obesity in the mouse study.