Grant: Project Grant

In humans, storing too much body fat leads to a higher risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. For a long time, researchers have known that men and women store fat differently in their bodies, and also have a different risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, most studies aimed at figuring out ways of correcting excess body fat to prevent heart disease and type 2 diabetes do not include both men and women. This is a problem because drugs used by doctors to fix excess fat storage do not work equally well in both men and women. To develop better treatments for people with too much body fat, researchers will need to learn more about how men and women store fat differently. My lab uses the fruit fly to make basic discoveries about fat storage. Scientists have shown that the same factors control body fat in flies and humans. Also, male and female flies store fat differently, just like in humans. These similarities mean that studying flies is a great way to learn more about how males and females store fat differently. Our research in flies shows that males and females store fat differently mostly because of one cell type in the brain called a neuron. Specifically, we found that different genes act in neurons in males and females to control body fat. This means the genes that act in neurons to control body fat are not shared between males and females. Our project goal is to identify genes that act in male and female neurons, respectively, to control body fat. Then, we will carry out tests to find out how these genes change neuron function, how the changes to body fat come about (ex. shifts in eating or movement). By providing reliable information about which genes act in neurons to control body fat in males, and which genes do the same job in females, researchers will have important clues to choose good targets for new drugs aimed at treating heart disease and type 2 diabetes in men and women, respectively.