New gene mutation in children

Professor Antje Körner in the research lab. Photo: Swen Reichhold / Leipzig University - A research team at Leipzig University's Faculty of Medicine has discovered a new mechanism that is associated with severe obesity in children. This genetic rearrangement leads to an unusual expression of a gene involved in hunger control and is not detected by most routine genetic tests for obesity. The findings were published in the journal Nature Metabolism. Obesity and diseases associated with obesity are among the leading causes of death worldwide, but its causes are not yet fully understood. However, it is known that several factors are responsible for the development and progression of the disease and that genetic factors also play a role. In most of the individuals affected, the combination of an unhealthy lifestyle and a genetic predisposition called a polygenic disorder leads to severe obesity.