HDAC9 Gene Linked to Heart Disease and Diabetes

 

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Last month, cardiac researchers at the University of Cincinnati discovered a unique gene associated with heart disease and diabetes. This gene, the HDAC9, was shown to prevent the effects of obesity (e.g. high blood sugar, cholesterol, and fatty liver disease) when deleted from mice being fed high fat diets.

The HDAC9 gene codes for the enzyme Histone Deacetylase 9, which belongs to a class of enzymes responsible for controlling DNA expression. Removing this enzyme from the cellular atmosphere affects the gene expression profile of the cell in a way that, according to Dr. Chatterjee, “prevent[s] mice from developing obesity-related diseases during chronic high-fat feeding.”

Typically, an increase in caloric intake is supposed to decrease the expression of HDAC9 gene, which is supposed to prime fat cells for efficient storage of fat content. However, chronic over-feeding leads to an increase in the expression of HDAC9 in fat cells, leading to a host of obesity-related symptoms and diseases (such as high blood sugar, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, and heart disease).

With the above knowledge, however, scientists can now look to create drugs that target and decrease the expression of HDAC9, so that like the mice in Dr. Chatterjee’s study, obesity-related symptoms and diseases can be mitigated in humans who may be suffering from such conditions.

In: http://www.biomedicalblog.com/hdac9-gene-linked-to-heart-disease-and-diabetes/210900/

David Xavier

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