Recently scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim worked together with Japanese scientists to isolate a gene in mice called Sirt7 that helps with energy metabolism and fat deposites. The Sirt7 gene is a protein in the sirtuin group that plays a major part in energy use in the body and in high fat diets it is responsibly for creating fat deposits.
In the experiment scientists took two groups of mice, one group of mice had the Sirt7 gene removed. Over the next month both groups were feed the same high fat diet. What they found at the end was that the mice without the Sirt7 gene not only added less fat than the other mice, but they stayed the same weight.
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| The photo on the left shows the liver of a mouse with the Sirt7 gene and all the fatty deposites. The photo on the right shows the liver of a mouse without the Sirt7 gene and the lack of fatty deposites that are present. |
The scientists are now working on something that will knock out the Sirt7 gene and inhibit it from working. They could then transfer this new knowledge into something for humans to help control their weight and the growing number of people that are overweight and obese.
NOS Theme-
Science is collaborative- Scientists worked with others from Japan
Science is bases on evidence- There was a difference between the mice with and without the gene
Link: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2014/04/30/a_fattening_gene.html
I thought this was a very interesting article, because a lot of people in this country have weight issues and are obese. I found an article that talks about people eating fried food. When a person without the gene eats fried food 1 - 2 times a week, they generally don't have a problem keeping off weight, but when a person with the gene eats fried food 1 - 2 times a week, they can have a problem keeping the weight off. People who eat fried food 3 - 4 times a week have a hard time keeping a good weight even if they don't have the gene, but if they do have a gene, this can lead to serious health issues.
ReplyDeleteLink to Article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2583598/Fried-food-causes-weight-gain-people-fat-gene.html