The authors of the article, scientists from the Salk Institute for Biological Research, studied the system of appetite regulation, in which the gene, designated TORC1, is involved.
“This gene plays a key role in the nervous regulation of metabolism, in particular, the formation of adipose tissue. It determines how much we eat and, as it now appears, whether we can produce offspring, ”says study leader Dr. Marc Montminy.
Scientists bred mice without the TORC1 gene. These mice were born normal, but at about eight weeks of age they began to get very fat, their amount of fat was two to three times higher than the norm. A surprise for scientists was the fact that “genetically modified” mice of both sexes were not capable of reproduction.
According to scientists, the TORC1 gene is responsible for the production of an intermediary protein that, after eating, activates two genes, one of which suppresses appetite, and the other signals that the body is ready to reproduce. In the absence of the TORC1 gene, this mechanism does not work – the feeling of hunger is not “turned off”, which leads to obesity, and the body does not receive a signal that it is ready to reproduce.
The study authors note that this relationship is important for evolution. If the body does not receive a sufficient amount of nutrition, then it cannot ensure the development of the offspring, therefore, a mechanism is turned on that makes it possible not to waste energy in vain and survive in difficult conditions. Scientists believe that the results will help create medicines for obese patients.
Based on materials