January 24, 2003

Advances
MGH scientists identify hundreds of worm genes that regulate fat storage

MGH scientists identify hundreds of worm genes that regulate fat storageMGH scientists and their colleagues have scoured thousands of genes in the C. elegans worm and have come up with hundreds of candidates that may determine how fat is stored and used in a variety of animals. The findings, published in the Jan. 16 issue of Nature, represent the first survey of an entire genome for all genes that regulate fat storage.

The research team, led by Gary Ruvkun, PhD, of the MGH Department of Molecular Biology, and postdoctoral fellow Kaveh Ashrafi, PhD, identified about 400 genes encompassing a wide range of biochemical activities that control fat storage. These studies were conducted using the tiny roundworm, an organism that shares many genes with humans and has helped researchers gain insights into diseases as diverse as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

"A number of these worm genes are related to mammalian genes that had already been shown to be important in body weight regulation. We also identified many new worm fat regulatory genes, and we believe that their human counterparts will play key roles in human fat regulation as well," says lead author Ashrafi. Francesca Chang of MGH Molecular Biology was a co-author of the study, which used a new technique called RNA interference to rapidly screen thousands of worm genes for their role in fat metabolism.