Nat commun: "couch, chips" reason has been found - epigenetic modification can make people "lazy"!

December 8, 2019 / BIOON / -- why do some people like sports while others hate sports? Most people would think it's all genetic, but a new study based on mice from Baylor medical school shows for the first time that different molecular levels of regulation (epigenetics) play a key role in determining a person's innate ability to move Epigenetics is the molecular mechanism that determines which genes are turned on or off in different cell types Because epigenetic mechanism is more malleable in nature than genetic mechanism, the research results propose a potential "gene programming" way to help people enjoy more physical exercise Now, in the journal Nature communications, researchers and colleagues at Baylor School of Medicine report a genetically modified mouse that produces the "couch potato" character through epigenetic modification They found that changes in DNA methylation in some neurons in the brain's hypothalamus had a significant effect on the level of voluntary movement in mice (image source: www Pixabay Com) in the past few years, researchers have studied various mouse models to understand the balance between calories consumed and calories consumed It is well known that long-term positive energy balance can lead to obesity It is worth noting that, regardless of the early environmental impact, the long-term impact on energy balance is always due to the continuous changes in physical activity rather than food intake "Our earlier findings suggest that the establishment of" set points "for physical activity may be influenced by the early environment, and this may involve epigenetic modifications." The author, Professor of molecular and human genetics Walter land, said In the current study, watland and his colleagues designed an experiment to directly test whether DNA methylation in the brain affects energy balance They focused on the hypothalamus, an area of the brain that plays a key role in energy balance, and studied a subgroup of hypothalamic neurons called AgRP, previously thought to play a role in regulating food intake The researchers destroyed DNA methylation in AgRP neurons by disabling the Dnmt3a gene Dnmt3a is responsible for adding methyl to DNA, especially in the brain early after birth The results showed that DNA methylation in AgRP neurons of these mice decreased significantly The researchers then tested whether the animals gained or lost weight compared to normal mice "We expect that interfering with DNA methylation of AgRP neurons will lead to significant changes in animal weight However, it is disappointing that Dnmt3a deficient mice are only slightly fatter than non deficient mice " But when researchers explore the causes of changes in energy balance, things become more interesting The team expects to find differences in food intake between normal mice and mice lacking Dnmt3a However, they found that the essential difference between the two mice was the degree of spontaneous physical exercise The researchers kept the wheels in the animals' cages for eight weeks and measured how much they ran each night Normal male mice run about six kilometers (3.7 miles) a night, but mice lacking Dnmt3a run only half of the time Detailed research shows that although their exercise ability is only half of that of normal mice, the mice lacking Dnmt3a still have the ability to run "They have the ability to exercise, but they seem to lack the desire to exercise." "Our findings suggest that epigenetic mechanisms in the brain, such as DNA methylation, that are established in the fetus or early postpartum, play an important role in determining an individual's motor orientation," watland said "It's becoming more and more important to understand how all of this works today, as the decline in physical activity has led to the prevalence of obesity around the world." Sources of information: scientists create 'epic couch potato' mouseoriginal sources: Harry Mackay, C Anthony Scott, Jack D Duryea, Maria S Baker, Eleonora laritsky, Amanda E Elson, Theodore garland, Marta L fiorto, Rui Chen, Yumei Li, Cristian coarfa, Richard B simely, Robert A Waterland DNA metrology in AgRP circuits regulations voluntary exercise behavior in mice Nature Communications , 2019; 10 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13339-3