Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0028754 (obesity)
 124,988 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The autosomal recessive mutations fa (rat) and db (mouse) cause obesity syndromes that develop early and ultimately become severe. Although both fa/fa rats and db/db mice have been studied extensively as models of human obesity and diabetes, the molecular bases of these phenotypes remain unknown. We have mapped fa in 50 fa/fa (obese) offspring of a (13M x Brown Norway) F1 fa/+ intercross relative to two molecular markers, Ifa and Glut-1, which flank db on mouse chromosome 4 and which are located on rat chromosome 5. Ifa and Glut-1 are linked to fa, with a gene order, Ifa-fa-Glut-1, that is identical to that for the region around db in the mouse genome. These results place fa on rat chromosome 5 and suggest that db and fa are mutations in homologous genes.
 ...
PMID:Rat obesity gene fatty (fa) maps to chromosome 5: evidence for homology with the mouse gene diabetes (db). 188 16

Defective BAT thermogenesis is associated with obesity in all the different types of obese animal so far studied. The deficit in normal energy expenditure may be presumed to contribute to the high metabolic efficiency and, together with the hyperphagia, to the obesity of these animals. In two types of obese animal (the ob/ob mouse, the db/db mouse) an increased propensity to become torpid provides an additional energy conserving mechanism that contributes to the high metabolic efficiency. In all these animals an abnormality of hypothalamic function appears likely. Obviously animals with induced hypothalamic lesions (the VMH-lesioned rat, the GTG-obese mouse) have an interruption in the normal pathway that links diet and the sympathetic innervation of BAT. The fa/fa rat resembles these animals in failing to activate BAT thermogenesis in response to diet: the lesion may lie in the hypothalamus itself or elsewhere in the food-intestine-hypothalamus-BAT axis, for example in intestinal peptide hormones. The ob/ob mouse has a peculiar hypothalamic defect that interferes with control of thermogenesis in BAT as well as impairing or exaggerating some aspects of thermoregulation. The db/db mouse resembles the ob/ob mouse but, since the defect is genetically distinct, presumably has a different lesion at the molecular level.
 ...
PMID:Defective brown adipose tissue thermogenesis in obese mice. 406 36

It is generally agreed that the site of heat production during nonshivering thermogenesis is the brown adipose tissue (BAT) and that the triggering event for heat production is the interaction of noradrenaline (NA) with its receptor on the plasma membrane. Following this initial event, several changes occur which result in increased rates of cAMP synthesis, redistribution of ions across the membrane, enhanced rates of lipolysis, and increased mitochondrial oxidation of substrates. BAT is also a target for the anabolic effect of insulin. Available evidence shows that insulin receptors are present on the BAT plasma membrane and that insulin can oppose the metabolic effects of catecholamine on BAT. We have studied more particularly the response of BAT adenylate cyclase to catecholamines in an animal model (the ob/ob mouse) which has a defective thermogenic response. The capacity of adenylate cyclase to be stimulated by catecholamines was significantly less in the tissue of obese mice than in lean controls. To produce a response equal to the half-maximal response in the lean mouse, a 10-fold increase in the NA concentration was required in the BAT of the obese mouse. These results are in harmony with those of others showing that the lipolytic response to catecholamines is abnormal in the BAT of the obese mouse. The adenylate cyclase activity can be altered by changes in the lipid composition of the diet and by manipulation of hormone levels. It is likely that the alteration in adenylate cyclase responsiveness is one of the contributing factors in the impaired thermogenesis and obesity in this animal.
 ...
PMID:Control mechanisms in brown adipose tissue plasma membrane. 608 80

The insulin resistance of animal models of obesity (the gold thioglucose obese mouse and the o b/o b mouse) is characterized by several abnormalities. At the receptor step, both the binding function (decreased number of sites) and the enzymatic, tyrosine kinase function (decreased insulin activation) are altered. At postreceptor steps, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) plays an important role in insulin signalling, particularly for the stimulation of glucose transport in muscle and adipocyte. Insulin activation of PI3-K is markedly diminished in obese mice; starving the obese animals restores normal responses of PI3-K, glucose transport, and glycogen synthesis, to insulin. These observations emphasize the multi-site, and largely reversible, nature of insulin resistance in these animal models of obesity. Similar alterations have been reported in the literature with regard to the sites of insulin resistance in human obesity and non insulin-dependent diabetes.
 ...
PMID:[Insulin resistance: lessons from animal models of obesity]. 922 Oct 53

The electrophysiological properties of cardiac muscle in KK/Ta mouse (hereafter referred to as KK mouse), an animal model of human non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, were investigated, and the findings compared with those obtained from a non-diabetic control mouse (C57BL/6J mouse; referred to as B6 mouse). The ages of the B6 mice were 23.9 +/- 5.4 weeks (n = 24) and those of the KK mice used were 25.7 +/- 10.8 weeks (n = 34). The KK mice had mild obesity, hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia. Ventricular muscles from both mice were examined by light microscopy. Partial myocardial fibrosis and filament disorder in the ventricular muscles were found only in the KK mice. The resting membrane potential of the ventricular muscle was less negative in the KK mice than in the control mice. The maximum rate of rise in the upstroke of the action potential was significantly decreased in the KK mice compared with that of the control mice. These suggest a decrease in a time-independent K+ current (IK1) in the KK mice. The duration of the action potential (APD) at all levels of repolarization was significantly longer in the KK mice than in the B6 mice. A blocker of transient outward current (I(to)), 4-aminopyridine, significantly prolonged the APD of the B6 mice, but failed to prolong it in the KK mice, suggesting that Ito in the diabetic mice is very small. A Ca2+ channel blocker, CoCl2, dramatically lengthened all levels of APD in both groups, suggesting that there is no difference between B6 mice and KK mice in L-type Ca2+ current via Ca2+ channels. These suggest the malfunction or deficiency of ionic channels which carry, at least Ito and IK1 in diabetic mice.
 ...
PMID:Electrophysiological properties of ventricular muscle obtained from spontaneously diabetic mice. 1080 58

This review focuses on the expression, content, and release of neuropeptides and on their role in the development of obesity in animal models with single-gene mutations. The balance between neuropeptides that contribute to the control of feeding behavior is profoundly and variously altered in these models, supporting the concept of the existence of several types of obesity. The hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) and the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) systems are the networks most studied in relation to energy intake. Both receive information about the nutritional status and the level of energy storage through insulin and leptin signaling mediated by specific receptors located on POMC and NPY neurons present predominantly in the arcuate nucleus (ARC). When leptin signaling is defective, through a defect in either the receptor (Zucker fa/fa rat, cp/cp rat, and db/db mouse) or in the peptide itself (ob/ob mouse), the NPY system is upregulated as shown by mRNA overexpression and increased peptide release, whereas the content and/or release of some inhibitory peptides (neurotensin, cholecystokinin) are diminished. For the POMC system, there is a complex interaction between the tonic inhibition of food intake exerted by alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) and the Agouti-related protein at the level of the type 4 melanocortin receptor. The latter peptide is coexpressed with NPY in the ARC. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is the link between food intake and environmental factors. It not only inhibits food intake and prevents weight gain, likely through hypothalamic effects, but also activates the hypothalamo-pituitary axis and therefore contributes to energy storage in adipose tissue. The factors that prod the CRF system toward the hypothalamic or hypothalamo-pituitary axis system remain to be more clearly defined (comodulators, connections between limbic system and ARC, cellular location, and type of receptors, etc. ). The pathways used by all of these neuromodulators include numerous brain areas, but some interest has returned to the classic ones such as the ventromedial and lateral hypothalamic areas because of the recent discovery of some peptides (orexins and melanin-concentrating hormone for the lateral hypothalamus) and receptors (CRF type 2 in the ventromedial hypothalamus). All of these pathways are redundant and function in a coordinated manner and sometimes by the novel expression of a peptide in an unusual area. The importance of such a phenomenon in obesity remains to be determined. Even if single-gene mutations are exceptions in human obesity, the study of genetic animal models of obesity has greatly contributed to the understanding of the regulation of feeding behavior and will allow researchers to develop new drug treatments for obesity that have to be associated with drastic changes in lifestyle (feeding, work habits, and physical activity) for a complete efficiency.
 ...
PMID:Neuropeptides and obesity. 1105 97

We hypothesized that certain proteins encoded by temperature-responsive genes in brown adipose tissue (BAT) contribute to the remarkable metabolic shifts observed in this tissue, thus prompting a differential mRNA expression analysis to identify candidates involved in this process in mouse BAT. An mRNA species corresponding to a novel partial-length gene was found to be induced 2-3-fold above the control following cold exposure (4 degrees C), and repressed approximately 70% by warm acclimation (33 degrees C, 3 weeks) compared with controls (22 degrees C). The gene displayed robust BAT expression (i.e. approximately 7-100-fold higher than other tissues in controls). The full-length murine gene encodes a 594 amino acid ( approximately 67 kDa) open reading frame with significant homology to the human hypothetical acyl-CoA thioesterase KIAA0707. Based on cold-inducibility of the gene and the presence of two acyl-CoA thioesterase domains, we termed the protein brown-fat-inducible thioesterase (BFIT). Subsequent analyses and cloning efforts revealed the presence of a novel splice variant in humans (termed hBFIT2), encoding the orthologue to the murine BAT gene. BFIT was mapped to syntenic regions of chromosomes 1 (human) and 4 (mouse) associated with body fatness and diet-induced obesity, potentially linking a deficit of BFIT activity with exacerbation of these traits. Consistent with this notion, BFIT mRNA was significantly higher ( approximately 1.6-2-fold) in the BAT of obesity-resistant compared with obesity-prone mice fed a high-fat diet, and was 2.5-fold higher in controls compared with ob/ob mice. Its strong, cold-inducible BAT expression in mice suggests that BFIT supports the transition of this tissue towards increased metabolic activity, probably through alteration of intracellular fatty acyl-CoA concentration.
 ...
PMID:BFIT, a unique acyl-CoA thioesterase induced in thermogenic brown adipose tissue: cloning, organization of the human gene and assessment of a potential link to obesity. 1169

The role of leptin in the control of obesity, insulin resistance and type II diabetes has been reported, however, the regulatory mechanism of leptin in animals affected by hormones is not clearly understood. In this study, the effects of insulin, epinephrine, growth hormone or dexamethasone on the expression of leptin was examined in mouse primary adipocytes. The leptin expression was also studied in the adipose tissue of the mouse treated with insulin or growth hormone (0.3 or 0.6 units/animal). Insulin (100 nM) or dexamethasone (100 nM) stimulated leptin mRNA transcription while epinephrine (100 nM) alleviated its transcription in mouse primary adipocytes. The level of leptin protein in cultured media of adipocytes treated with insulin or dexamethasone was higher than that of the control group but growth hormone or epinephrine treatment had no effect on them. Insulin administration (0.6 units/mouse) enhanced leptin mRNA as well as leptin protein in mouse adipose tissue but growth hormone administration (0.3 or 0.6 units/mouse) had no effect on them. Leptin protein level in sera of mice injected with insulin or growth hormone was not significantly different from that of control group. These results indicate that both insulin and dexamethasone stimulate leptin gene expression and secretion of its product, whereas, growth hormone has no effect on the expression of leptin gene in mouse adipocytes.
 ...
PMID:Regulation of leptin gene expression by insulin and growth hormone in mouse adipocytes. 1179 85

Almost 50 years ago the obese mouse model was identified, and parabiosis studies were able to demonstrate that some humoral factor was involved in adiposity, so that the genetics and endocrine nature of this process have been apparent for many years. With the discovery of leptin just a few years ago, early studies validated the role of this protein product of the obese gene. Early studies in the obese mouse model ( ob/ob mouse) demonstrated that the genetic basis was truly a deficiency in leptin. Coincidentally, the relationship to fertility was also associated with leptin. These early studies were also able to demonstrate a relationship to puberty and the time of pubertal development. Very quickly, the recognition that the placenta was a source of leptin and that leptin levels were elevated in pregnancy in a number of species also broadened our appreciation of the relationship to reproductive functions. These many rapidly elucidated relationships to leptin were reported soon after the identification and availability of leptin as a research reagent and have firmly put leptin into the area of reproductive physiology in addition to establishing roles in metabolism, satiety, and energy metabolism. Subsequent studies have expanded all of these situations. Species beyond the rodent model, including the human, have now introduced these physiologic studies into the clinical arena and the role of leptin in fertility, puberty, pregnancy, and genetics. In this issue, all of these topics are reviewed to bring the reader up to date with leptin and its role in reproductive function, many of which overlap with the control of obesity.
 ...
PMID:When did leptin become a reproductive hormone? 1208 93

Resistin is thought to cause insulin resistance and link obesity to type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, little is known about the effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on resistin gene expression in white adipose tissue (WAT). Resistin gene expression was determined by northern blot analysis in food-deprived mice after NPY administration. Administered NPY (1 nmol/mouse) significantly increased resistin mRNA expression in WAT by 72% compared with artificial cerebrospinal fluid treated controls. These observations indicate that NPY might have a role in regulating resistin gene expression in WAT and that the novel brain-fat axis might be involved in the pathogenesis of obesity and related diseases.
 ...
PMID:Intracerebroventricular administration of NPY stimulates resistin gene expression in mice. 1268 10


1 2 3 4 5 Next >>