Fish Protein Link To Controlling High Blood Pressure, New Study
Medical scientists at the University of Leicester are investigating how a species of fish from the Pacific Ocean could help provide answers to tackling chronic conditions such as hereditary high blood pressure and kidney disease.
They are examining whether the Goby fish can help researchers locate genes linked to high blood pressure. This is because a protein called Urotensin II, first identified in the fish, is important for regulating blood pressure in all vertebrates- from fish to humans.
The study is being carried out in the University’s Department of Cardiovascular Sciences. Researcher Dr Radoslaw Debiec said: “The protein found in the fish has remained almost unaltered during evolution”.
“This indicates that the protein might be of critical importance in regulation of blood pressure and understanding the genetic background of high blood pressure.
“Uncovering the genetic causes of high blood pressure may help in its better prediction and early prevention of its complications. My research at the University of Leicester has shown how variation in the gene encoding the protein may influence risk of hypertension.”
Dr Debiec will be presenting his research at the Festival of Postgraduate Research which is taking place on Thursday 25th June in the Belvoir Suite, Charles Wilson Building at the University of Leicester between 11.30am and 1pm.
He added: “Drugs affecting the protein might be a novel alternative to the available therapies in particular in those patients who have chronic kidney disease coexisting with high blood pressure. Read more
Fruit Flies Can Shed Light On High Cholesterol, Obesity In Humans
How do fruit flies get high cholesterol and become obese? The same way as people do – by eating a diet that’s too rich in fats.
More importantly, according to two new studies led by a University of Utah human geneticist, fruit flies use the same molecular mechanisms as humans to help maintain proper balances of cholesterol and a key form of stored fat that contributes to obesity. The findings mean that as researchers try to learn more about the genetic and biological processes through which people regulate cholesterol and fat metabolism, the humble fruit fly, also called Drosophila, can teach humans much about themselves.
“Not a lot is known about these regulatory mechanisms in people,” says Carl S. Thummel, Ph.D., professor of human genetics at the U of U School of Medicine and senior author on the two studies. “But we can learn a lot by studying metabolic control in fruit flies and apply what we learn to humans.”
High cholesterol and obesity, which affects an estimated 25 percent to 30 percent of the U.S. population, are linked to heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases that take huge tolls on health and add billions of dollars to the nation’s medical bills. Understanding the processes that regulate cholesterol and fat in humans could be critical for addressing those health risks in people, Thummel believes.
The two studies identify a nuclear receptor, DHR96, which plays a critical role in regulating the balance or homeostasis of cholesterol and another fat molecule called triacylglycerol (TAG). Nuclear receptors are proteins that sense the presence of chemical compounds within cells. DHR96 corresponds closely to a nuclear receptor in humans, called LXR, that is known to regulate cholesterol levels.
In a study published Dec. 2 in Genes & Development, Thummel and colleagues at the U of U and two Canadian universities show that DHR96 helps regulate cholesterol in fruit flies by binding with this compound. When this binding occurs, it allows DNA to be read, which switches genes on and off that help maintain proper levels of cholesterol, according to Thummel, who also holds an H.A. and Edna Benning Presidential Endowed Chair in Human Genetics. Read more