The Thin Gene

In the article "The Thin Gene" Abby Solomon is discussed and her genetic disorder. Solomon is 5"10 and only weighs 99 pounds. Solomon neonatal progeroid syndrome, a condition that results from damage to the FBN1 gene. This gene causes Solomon to get hungry every hour and she begins to starve if she does not eat. She dreams about food and enjoys food but she get full very quick. Even though she thinks about food all the time she still gets full very quick and still ends up consuming less calories then a normal women her age. This mutation also "mangles noses and eyes and destroys the layer of fat under the skin so that even teenagers look middle-aged. It also interferes with the body’s ability to make a hormone called asprosin, which regulates blood sugar". Dr. Chopra of Baylor college of medicine started doing research on Abby's disorder. Dr. Chopra said that this disorder is not like a normal eating disorder, this disorder causes Abby to snack a few times every hour in order to not pass out. Abby is a great opportunity for Dr. Chopra to do research on this gene and find out what causes it. As mentioned before the hormone asprosin, which is a blood circulating hormone; asprosin deficiency keeps Abby on the brink of starvation. Dr. Chopra got to thinking that if a deficiency in asprosin causes starvation in a sense then it could help people with obesity. They tested this on mice , and found that it can reverse insulin resistance and weight gain. I found all of this very interesting and I do think it could be a great break through to help people with obesity and diabetes. When asked if she wishes she was different Abby said she would not change anything about herself because this is a chance to get to find what is wrong with her and hopefully help others.

 

More Than Just DNA Passed Down Through Generations

          The interest of acquired traits and inheritance has been research for a long time now.  According to Charles Darwin, the driving force to a species evolution are genetic mutations that give them a competitive advantage.  But during the Dutch famine in WWII it was interesting to witness that women who experienced starvation and gave birth had children who were more susceptible of obesity and other diseases, as well as the grandchildren after that.  Witnessing this compelled scientists to look further into inheritance and factors that may impact inheritance.
          Dr. Oliver Hobert, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator for CUMC, conducted animal experiments with some similar results.  But it was studies done by Oded Rechavi, a postdoctoral fellow in Hobert's lab, which found small RNA in roundworms.  Rechavi's test consisted of starving a group of roundworms for 6 days and examining them afterwards.  The test group that was starved developed a specific set of small RNA involved in gene expression but not for coding of proteins.  The small RNA was then analyzed as it was passed down through 3 generations, but since the RNA were developed during starvation it had to be passed down.  It is believed that the small RNA found its way to the germ cell of the roundworm and passed on that way.  Some other observations which are correlations and not directly related to the RNA is that the affected generations had longer life spans than the control group.  Even though these findings have no clinical relevance, it suggests that long term health can be affected by more than just DNA.
          If it can be found in roundworms that something like starvation can impact later generations, it brings to question what are we doing that could impact our further generations?  Is there any way that little changes to our daily life can help or hurt people in the future?  It's good to keep in mind that there is so much more we can learn about the human body and the inheritance of genes.

Original Article
Supporting Article

The Price of Beauty

The pressure and stress society deems someone as “beautiful” can be quite demanding; for some it may mean taking great risk to achieve that beauty. This risk is also the cause of one million suffering in Britain—either by starvation or suicide, this is known as anorexia disorder. We have seen forms of anorexia from models and demanding parents. However studies have shown that anorexia can be also inherited!

In reality, scientists showed there is not just one social cause that leads to anorexia. In fact, the main drive for this disorder could either be the fear of entering adulthood or of losing parents’ attention. What which gene is the cause for this disorder, compared to schizophrenia—this disorder did not caught enough attention to gene hunters.

 Now, Britain and America teamed up with the rest of the world in order to gather 25,000 DNA samples from those who are anorexic and compare it to the DNA of the unaffected controlled group. Scientists hope that this will allow them to pinpoint the genes and study their function in order to develop a treatment. However the finding cannot be replicated and the project is back at square one.

The scientists hope that if the finding was successful, it can help lessen the guilt to parents of the anorexic child. According to Professor Janet, Treasure director of the Eating Disorders Unit at Bethlem Royal Hospital, the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, that parents need to understand that anorexia is caused by both environment and genetics cause. This disorder tends to happen during adolescence, it is a natural response—but it is the emotional reactions that get children sick.

Anorexia happens to 1-2% of teenagers and college students, though it can happen at any age. People who have anorexia sees themselves fat even though they eat the bare minimum amount of food allowing them to survive. They tend to secretly starve themselves and vomit the food they ate. People who tend to have anorexia tend to be: perfectionist, anxious or depressed, and obsessive. This disorder usually happens to more females than males; more specifically the daughter of two professional couples.

The global project for finding the gene responsible for anorexia, led by Professor Cynthia Bulik, an expert in eating disorders at the University of North Carolina in the US, identified the genes to be, AN25k. It is likely as the project continues they find other genes contributing to the cause of this disease. Studies show that of the risk 56% anorexia is contributed by genetic factors. The researchers are now hoping they find one gene that linked the illness altogether so they can develop a treatment.

This article to me was a relief to read, in my high school days my health teacher has shown me some very disturbing pictures of anorexia—we even watched videos about them. I feel so bad for all the girls I've seen, I want to tell them they are beautiful already—that they are harming their body by not eating. This disorder causes so much pain to not only to those who have it, but also to family members as well. 

Article: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the-genetics-of-anorexia-9778489.html

Related article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2732887/UK-scientists-launch-hunt-anorexia-gene-Plea-1-000-volunteers-help-prove-health-victims-born-deadly-condition.html