WDTC1 ("Adipose") is a gene associated with

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's ...

. WDTC1 is a gene that codes for a

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respon ...

acting as a suppressor in lipid accumulation. WDTC1 protein consists of seven

WD40 WD-40 is an American brand and the trademark of a penetrating oil manufactured by the WD-40 Company based in San Diego, California. The formula for WD-40 was invented for the Rocket Chemical Company as early as 1953 before it evolved into the ...

domains, three

transient receptor potential channel Transient receptor potential channels (TRP channels) are a group of ion channels located mostly on the plasma membrane of numerous animal cell types. Most of these are grouped into two broad groups: Group 1 includes TRPC ( "C" for canonical), T ...

protein-protein interaction domains, DDB1 binding elements, and a

prenylated Prenylation (also known as isoprenylation or lipidation) is the addition of hydrophobic molecules to a protein or a biomolecule. It is usually assumed that prenyl groups (3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl) facilitate attachment to cell membranes, similar to ...

C-terminus. Reduced expression or disruption of WDTC1 gene is associated with obesity, increased

triglyceride A triglyceride (TG, triacylglycerol, TAG, or triacylglyceride) is an ester derived from glycerol and three fatty acids (from ''tri-'' and '' glyceride''). Triglycerides are the main constituents of body fat in humans and other vertebrates, as ...

accumulation, and

adipogenesis Adipogenesis is the formation of adipocytes (fat cells) from stem cells. It involves 2 phases, determination, and terminal differentiation. Determination is mesenchymal stem cells committing to the adipocyte precursor cells, also known as preadipoc ...

. WDTC1 is a factor in a complex composed of

DDB1 DNA damage-binding protein 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''DDB1'' gene. Gene The gene's position is on chromosome 11q12-q13. Protein The DDB1 gene encodes the large subunit of DNA damage-binding protein, a heterodimer composed ...

, CUL4, and ROC1 that restricts transcription in adipogenesis.

Model organisms

Model organisms have been used in the study of WDTC1 function. A conditional

knockout mouse A knockout mouse, or knock-out mouse, is a genetically modified mouse (''Mus musculus'') in which researchers have inactivated, or " knocked out", an existing gene by replacing it or disrupting it with an artificial piece of DNA. They are importa ...

line called ''Wdtc1^{tm1a(KOMP)Wtsi}'' was generated at the

Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute The Wellcome Sanger Institute, previously known as The Sanger Centre and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, is a non-profit British genomics and genetics research institute, primarily funded by the Wellcome Trust. It is located on the Wellcome Ge ...

. Male and female animals underwent a standardized

phenotypic screen In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological prop ...

to determine the effects of deletion. Additional screens performed: - In-depth immunological phenotyping Studies of phenotype of mice showed that having a loss of an allele resulted in obesity and poor metabolic profiles.

Transgenic A transgene is a gene that has been transferred naturally, or by any of a number of genetic engineering techniques, from one organism to another. The introduction of a transgene, in a process known as transgenesis, has the potential to change the ...

expression of the WDTC1 gene in mice showed the opposite effect with mice having less adipose.

References

External links

Born lucky: Scientists discover "skinny gene" - MSNBC
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