According to a study in the April 27 edition of Cell , Dr. Chad Grueter, a postdoctoral researcher in molecular biologyand his team from the UT Southwestern Medical Center have, for thefirst time, demonstrated the heart's ability to regulate energybalance throughout the body. The finding may lead to more effectivetherapies for diabetes , heart disease and obesity , which, according to the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention affect tens of millions of people in the U.S. The researchers discovered in a mouse model that feeding mice ahigh-fat diet meant they could manipulate a heart-specific geneticpathway that prevents obesity and protects against dangerouschanges in blood-sugar levels in those with type 2 diabetes. Medium Voltage Power Cable
Senior author of the study, Dr. Eric Olson, chairman of molecularbiology at UT Southwestern declared: "Obesity, diabetes, and coronary artery disease are major causes of human death and disability, and they are allconnected to metabolism. This is the first demonstration that theheart can regulate systemic metabolism, which we think opens up awhole new area of investigation." They used genetically changed mice and an experimental drug tomanipulate levels of two regulatory molecules in the heart anddiscovered that MED13, a vital part of a gene pathway in the heart,controls whole-body metabolism while miRNA-208a, a heart-specificmicroRNA, blocks MED13s actions. The findings demonstrated that mice with either genetically or drugincreased MED13 levels were lean and with elevated levels ofenergy, whilst those mice that were genetically engineered to lackMED13 in the heart had a higher susceptibility to diet-inducedobesity. China High Voltage Power Cables
These mice also had an abnormal blood-sugar metabolism andother alterations that were comparable with a group of conditionscalled metabolic syndrome, which is associated with the developmentof coronary artery disease, stroke , and type 2 diabetes. MicroRNAs are small snippets of genetic material that were believedto be of little interest given the fact that they were unable tocode for the proteins used in body processes like larger strands ofgenetic material do, however, researches have discovered in recentyears that these molecules are key regulators of disease and stress responses in various tissues and identified at least 500microRNAs. Dr. Olson, one of the five co-founders of the biotechnologycompany miRagen Therapeutics Inc. concludes: "Several years ago, our lab focused on this heart-specificmicroRNA, miR-208a, and then worked with a biotechnology company todevelop a drug to inhibit miR-208a. China Xlpe Electrical Cable
While studying the effects ofthat drug, we observed that animals treated with the inhibitorseemed to be resistant to high-fat diets but were otherwisehealthy." The study was built on the original observation that identified therole of miR-208a and its target MED13 in controlling systematicmetabolism. Dr. Grueter adds that future studies will investigatehow this heart-specific microRNA communicates with cells throughoutthe body. Written by Petra Rattue Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today Additional References Citations.
Senior author of the study, Dr. Eric Olson, chairman of molecularbiology at UT Southwestern declared: "Obesity, diabetes, and coronary artery disease are major causes of human death and disability, and they are allconnected to metabolism. This is the first demonstration that theheart can regulate systemic metabolism, which we think opens up awhole new area of investigation." They used genetically changed mice and an experimental drug tomanipulate levels of two regulatory molecules in the heart anddiscovered that MED13, a vital part of a gene pathway in the heart,controls whole-body metabolism while miRNA-208a, a heart-specificmicroRNA, blocks MED13s actions. The findings demonstrated that mice with either genetically or drugincreased MED13 levels were lean and with elevated levels ofenergy, whilst those mice that were genetically engineered to lackMED13 in the heart had a higher susceptibility to diet-inducedobesity. China High Voltage Power Cables
These mice also had an abnormal blood-sugar metabolism andother alterations that were comparable with a group of conditionscalled metabolic syndrome, which is associated with the developmentof coronary artery disease, stroke , and type 2 diabetes. MicroRNAs are small snippets of genetic material that were believedto be of little interest given the fact that they were unable tocode for the proteins used in body processes like larger strands ofgenetic material do, however, researches have discovered in recentyears that these molecules are key regulators of disease and stress responses in various tissues and identified at least 500microRNAs. Dr. Olson, one of the five co-founders of the biotechnologycompany miRagen Therapeutics Inc. concludes: "Several years ago, our lab focused on this heart-specificmicroRNA, miR-208a, and then worked with a biotechnology company todevelop a drug to inhibit miR-208a. China Xlpe Electrical Cable
While studying the effects ofthat drug, we observed that animals treated with the inhibitorseemed to be resistant to high-fat diets but were otherwisehealthy." The study was built on the original observation that identified therole of miR-208a and its target MED13 in controlling systematicmetabolism. Dr. Grueter adds that future studies will investigatehow this heart-specific microRNA communicates with cells throughoutthe body. Written by Petra Rattue Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today Additional References Citations.