Key genes that regulate cholesterol levels

  Precision medicine can adjust the treatment plan based on the patient's unique gene sequence, but in order to achieve this accuracy (or develop new drugs), we need to know which genes are related to the disease. Brian Parks, professor of nutritional science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said: In a recent study, Brian Parks, a professor of nutritional science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and others developed a A new method to knock out previously unknown genes. By combining the results of animal model studies with the results of genetic studies involving thousands of genomes, researchers have discovered new genes involved in regulating human cholesterol metabolism.

  This work provides a new goal for understanding the genetic risk of high cholesterol associated with heart disease. Equally important, this research provides a new way to reveal that genetic mutations are the basis of many human diseases, and this is the first step in treating these diseases.

  related results were recently published in the journal Cell Metabolism. The results of the study show that when food provides enough essential nutrients, the newly discovered gene Sestrin1 regulates cholesterol levels by stopping the production of cholesterol in the liver.

  Parks team used mouse liver to study the gene network involved in cholesterol synthesis and identified 112 genes related to the known cholesterol gene network. Next, the researchers hope to see which of these 112 genes overlap with human DNA sequences that potentially bind to cholesterol.

  Park said: “Because we can use sample data of 500,000 people for large-scale investigations, we can identify genomic regions related to cholesterol differences.” Of the 112 genes that were investigated, 54 were related to humans. ..relationship. 25 of these genes were previously unrelated to human cholesterol levels and may be new targets. The Parks team studied these 25 genes in a mouse model and compared them with human genome data, and finally obtained Sestrin1.

  There is no report that this gene is related to cholesterol, but researchers have found that Sestrin1 helps regulate blood cholesterol levels. It can stimulate the synthesis of cholesterol until it is blocked by cholesterol in the diet. Mice lacking this gene cannot properly regulate cholesterol levels. Eating a diet with a normal cholesterol content will produce high cholesterol because their liver cannot respond normally.