Researchers discover Fat Gene AND key Cancer Gene

[Dover]

Researchers Discover Fat Gene

"Lipin regulates how the body stores and burns fat. Our findings suggest that differences in lipin levels may play a role in why some people are more prone to weight gain than others who consume the same calories," said principal investigator Karen Reue, a professor of medicine and human genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a researcher at the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.

In 2001 Reue's laboratory was the first to isolate the lipin gene and link it to lipodystrophy, a wasting disorder in which the body is unable to produce fat. She also found that too little lipin prevented both genetic and diet-related obesity.

For this study, Reue and coauthor Jack Phan tested whether too much lipin would produce the opposite effect. Her team developed animal models using two sets of specially bred mice. Each group had a genetic mutation that boosted the level of lipin — one group in their fat tissue and the other group in their muscles.

When fed a high-fat diet for six weeks, the mice with elevated lipin in their fat or muscles showed accelerated weight gain — double the amount of weight gained by the normal mice...cont'd



http://www.physorg.com/news2757.html

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Key Cancer Gene Discovered


HealthDayNews -- Cancer is caused by the activity of rogue genes that act like street toughs within cells, forcing them to multiply out of control. Now, scientists say they've identified a kind of "kingpin" gene that rules this gang of delinquent DNA.

"It's the 'leader of the pack,' and in that sense, it's a very effective target for therapy," said senior study author Dr. Pier Paolo Pandolfi, a pathologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Drugs to shut down the newly identified gene, which the researchers named POKEMON (for POK Erythroid Myeloid Ontogenic factor), could treat a wide spectrum of cancers, Pandolfi added, because other cancer-causing genes appear to lose their power when this key gene is switched off....cont'd

http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=120550

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