Extensive pleiotropism and allelic heterogeneity mediate metabolic effects of <i>IRX3</i> and <i>IRX5</i>
Débora R. Sobreira, Amelia C. Joslin, Qi Zhang, Iain Williamson, Grace Hansen, Kathryn Farris, Noboru J. Sakabe, Nasa Sinnott-Armstrong, Grazyna Bozek, Sharon O. Jensen-Cody, Kyle H. Flippo, Carole Ober, Wendy A. Bickmore, Matthew J. Potthoff, Mengjie Chen, Melina Claussnitzer, Ivy Aneas, Marcelo A. Nóbrega
Abstract
Obesity genes working together The biological causes of obesity are not well understood. Sobreira et al. examined the chromatin interactions between key genes in a locus known for its associations with obesity in human patients. In addition to directly interrogating the connections between these genes and examining the mechanisms that regulate their activity, the authors used mouse models to study the target genes' effects on both adipose tissue and brain cells that play a role in regulating dietary preferences. Science , abf1008, this issue p. 1085