Scientists may have discovered the gene that allows some people to never gain weight, even without effort. This could potentially open up a new avenue for obesity treatments.
According to research published Thursday in the journal Cell and reported by CNN, scientists have identified a genetic variant unique to thin individuals: the ALK gene.
The ALK gene studied in the Estonian population
This ALK gene produces a protein called anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), which plays an important role in cell growth.
After examining DNA samples and clinical data from over 47,000 healthy people in Estonia aged 20 to 44, the researchers identified the variant involved in thinness. Lead author Josef Penninger, professor of medical genetics and director of the Life Sciences Institute at the University of British Columbia, explains: “We looked at the genetic maps of people with a BMI [body mass index] of less than 18 and compared them to those of people of normal weight and found the [genetic variant] that corresponded to being very thin,” Penninger said.
The novelty of their research is that a mutation in the gene could play a role in thinness and resistance to weight gain.
Thinner flies and mice
Following this discovery, experiments had to be carried out to see if this gene had a real effect on thinness. By removing this gene, flies and mice actually lost weight!
“We gave the mice (the equivalent of) a McDonald’s diet. The normal mice became obese and those without ALK remained thin,” Penninger said. The team’s studies on mice also suggested that the ALK gene prompts adipose tissue to burn more fat. Incredible news even if the research still needs to continue.
