How was the FTO gene discovered?

FTO was first discovered through a GWAS of type 2 diabetes in Europeans, comparing 1,924 cases and 2,938 controls. A cluster of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the first intron of the gene showed highly significant association with risk of type 2 diabetes.

Is there a gene that makes you fat?

Science shows that genetics plays a role in obesity. Genes can directly cause obesity in specific disorders such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome. However genes do not always predict future health. Genes and behavior may both be needed for a person to be overweight.

How does FTO cause obesity?

FTO, as the RNA m6A Demethylase, Is Involved in the Development of Obesity. FTO proteins are involved in the development of obesity by affecting the m6A level of hormones related to eating or molecules related to adipogenesis (Figure 2A).

How does the FTO gene cause obesity?

These studies suggest that Fto is downregulated during fasting and upregulated during feeding, and that variation in Fto resulting in decreased expression or activity might provide a signal that promotes feeding and obesity.

What is FTO obesity?

Fat mass and obesity-associated protein also known as alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase FTO is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the FTO gene located on chromosome 16. As one homolog in the AlkB family proteins, it is the first mRNA demethylase that has been identified.

Is the FTO gene inherited?

The FTO gene comes in two forms – a high obesity-risk variant and a low-obesity risk variant. Each person inherits two copies of this gene, one from each parent.

Can eating too little make you gain weight?

Eating too few calories can be the start of a vicious cycle that causes diet distress. When you cut your calories so low that your metabolism slows and you stop losing weight, you probably will become frustrated that your efforts are not paying off. This can lead you to overeat and ultimately gain weight.

Why am I getting fat even though I exercise?

Glycogen has to bind with water in order to fuel your muscles. As exercise becomes more routine over time, your muscles will become more efficient and need less glycogen to maintain your energy. As that happens, your muscles will retain less water and you will see that added weight come off!

How is the IRX3 gene related to obesity?

Hypothalamic function of IRX3, therefore, appears to control body mass and composition in these animals, indicating that the genetic predisposition to obesity is wired in the brain. IRX3 codes for a protein that regulates other genes, and is present both in and outside the brain, in organs and cells such as fat cells.

What happens to fat cells in IRX3 deficient mice?

When fed a high-fat diet, mice without IRX3 retained the same weight and fat levels as on normal diets. Normal mice fed a high-fat diet gained almost twice as much weight. Fat cells in IRX3-deficient mice were smaller, and increased levels of brown fat were observed.

What kind of gene is associated with obesity?

Now an international team of scientists has discovered that the obesity-associated elements within FTO interact with IRX3, a distant gene on the genome that appears to be the functional obesity gene. The FTO gene itself appears to have only a peripheral effect on obesity, researchers report in the March 12 online of Nature.

How does IRX3 function in the hypothalamus?

The researchers also discovered that mice with altered IRX3 function in the hypothalamus, the portion of the brain known to regulate feeding behavior and energy expenditure, showed an identical pattern of leanness as mice which completely lacked IRX3.