Is Thy1 protein to blame for obesity?
Scientists have identified the biological cause of obesity
American scientists have discovered a protein that directly controls the formation of fat cells in the body. This discovery will make it possible to treat obesity as a biological phenomenon, and not as a behavioral disorder (associated with overeating). The study is presented in the FASEB Journal (Woeller et al., Thy1 (CD90) controls adipogenesis by regulating activity of the Src family kinase, Fyn), and is briefly reported by The Daily Mail (Are some people BORN to make more fat cells? Researchers find protein that could control weight loss and lead to radical new treatments for obesity).
The Thy1 (CD90) protein was discovered 40 years ago, but its functions at the molecular level remained a mystery to scientists. Richard P. Phipps discovered for the first time that the expression of Thy1 stops in the development of fat cells (adipocytes) – thus, restoring Thy1, it will be possible to treat obesity.
Tests in the Phipps laboratory showed that mice with the Thy1 protein disabled, who received a high-fat diet, gained more weight in a shorter period of time than rodents from the control group (who ate the same foods). Moreover, twice the level of resistin, a biomarker of obesity and diabetes, was found in the blood of animals deprived of Thy1. Experiments with adipose tissue from the abdominal cavity and human eyes gave similar results.
Now Phipps and his colleagues are trying to figure out exactly what is the reason why fat accumulates faster when Thy1 is disabled. Scientists are also interested in whether the differences in the expression of this protein are innate, or they change over the course of life, due to the influence of various external forces. To find out, the Phipps laboratory is studying the effect of apogens (chemicals that contribute to obesity – bisphenol A, flame retardants and phthalates) on the expression of Thy1 in human cells.
Although scientists have not yet decided on the biological causes of the mechanism they discovered, they have already started working on a cure for obesity (peptide Thy1) and have filed a patent application for their invention.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru13.01.2015