Sean Curran from the University of Southern California Davis School of Gerontology and his colleagues from USC's Keck School of Medicine have found a gene that could potentially pave the way for a new method of suppressing obesity caused by high-sugar diets.

Although Curran's work has only focused on the Caenorhabditis elegans (a free-living transparent roundworm) and human cells in a petridish, the genetic pathway he studied is found in all animals, from simple yeast cells to complex humans. He plans on testing his findings on mice in the near future.

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The team built upon existing data on C. elegans and found definite genetic mutants. These mutants have a hyperactive version of the SKN-1 gene that can withstand very high-sugar diets without increasing the organism's weight. In contrast, regular nematodes of the same species ballooned on the same diet.

"The high-sugar diet that the bacteria ate was the equivalent of a human eating the Western diet," Curran said, referring to the diet favored by the Western world characterized by high-sugar and high-fat foods such as burgers, fries and soda.

A version of the SKN-1 gene also exists in humans and is named Nrf2.

Nrf2 is a "transcription factor" protein that attaches to a particular DNA sequence to manage the capability of cells to repair damage or detoxify itself when exposed to chemically reactive oxygen, which is a common threat to the well being of cells in the body.

Small-molecule drugs that target the Nrf2 gene are currently being researched by pharmaceutical companies in the hope it will slow aging and produce more anti-oxidants.

Although the concept of a pill to help manage the body's response to food is tempting, Curran said it's not without risk as increased function of the Nrf2 has been associated with aggressive cancers.

"Perhaps it is a matter of timing and location," Curran said. "If we can acutely activate Nrf2 in specific tissues when needed then maybe we can take advantage of its potential benefits."

TagsCaenorhabditis elegans, obesity, High-sugar diet, Western diet, SKN-1 gene, Genetics, SKN-1, Nrf2 gene, Nrf2