Pill to cure â€˜couch potatoesâ€™ ?

The author has posted comments on this articleAgencies | Feb 17, 2014, 06.14AM IST

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LONDON: A gene mutation may explain why some people are more likely than others to be couch potatoes , according to a study which offers hope of a personalized pill to counter the problem.

Scientists found that a mutation in a gene may explain why some people are less inclined to exercise and are more likely to put on weight and develop health problems. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) in Beijing and the University of Aberdeen compared 'normal' mice with mice that had a mutation in a gene called SLC35D3.

The researchers found that SLC35D3 produces a protein which plays a key signalling role in the brain's dopamine system This system is involved in regulation of physical activity levels.

They found that SLC35D3 seems to be key to transporting a type of dopamine receptor, from where they are made inside the cell, to the cell surface, where they can bind with dopamine. Mice with this gene mutation had far fewer of this type of dopamine receptor on their brain cell surfaces. Instead, the dopamine receptors were stuck within the cell. This meant that their signalling process was not functioning properly.

"Mice with this mutation were typical couch potatoes. They walked about a third as much as a normal mouse, and when they did move they walked more slowly," said Wei Li of the IGDB.