Metabolism gene origins unveiled

Thursday December 8th, 2016

Swedish scientists have unveiled new findings about a gene thought to play a key role in human metabolism.

The FADS1 gene plays a key role in human handling of polyunsaturated fats - and is thought to affect levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol and blood sugar, according to the Swedish researchers.

This means it is linked to the level of risk for allergies and inflammatory diseases - as well as risk for colon cancer and heart disease, they say.

The latest study, from Uppsala University, tracks the evolution of the gene, suggesting that it evolved about six million years ago. It is found in humans and chimpanzees.

They say that about 300,000 years ago a further mutation increased the capacity of the gene to produce omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The more active variant is the most common one in many parts of the world because originally it provided an advantage - but it is now a disadvantage, the researchers report in Nucleic Acids Research.

Researcher Gang Pan said: "Since we now live longer and have changed our diet radically – modern food in the Western world has drastic excess of omega-6 – what was an advantage in historical times may have turned against us and become an increased risk for many diseases."

Fellow researcher Professor Claes Wadelius said: "Polyunsaturated fats are involved in a surprising number of processes and the hope is that the new knowledge will make it possible to treat some of these diseases in a targeted way."

PATZ1 down-regulates FADS1 by binding to rs174557 and is opposed by SP1/SREBP1c. Nucleic Acids Research December 2016; doi: 10.1093/nar/gkw1186

Tags: Allergies & Asthma | Diabetes | Diet & Food | Europe | Genetics | Rheumatology

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