A gene dubbed HMG I-C causes tumors called lipomas, a common tumor in fat tissue in humans. Santa J. Ono, Ph.D., Associate Scientist at The Schepens Eye Research Institute and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School suggests that strong evidence points to targeting this molecule for the treatment of obesity in humans and the treatment of lipomas. It is likely that therapeutic agents which block the expression of the HMG I-C would be effective in the treatment of these two major clinical problems In proving a direct role for the HMG I-C gene in lipoma formation by creating transgenic mouse lines that overexpress the defective HMG I-C gene in all cells of the body, the researchers also found that no tumors formed in other tissues of the body, just in fat tissue. The team categorizes the HMG I-C gene as a new type of oncogene, a structural chromosomal protein contributing to tumor formation.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: J Biological Chemistry, May 12, 2000
