Fat story gains weight

摘要

A drug to make fat people thinner would make millions. So ever since last summer, when researchers discovered that a protein called leptin makes obese mice lose weight, laboratories around the world have been working overtime. Just weeks ago, researchers in the US found a receptor for leptin (New Scientist, Science, 13 January). Now another piece of the jigsaw has slotted into place. It turns out that the gene for the leptin receptor is the same as a gene called db, whose mutant form is well known for mak-ing mice fat by interfering with the uptake of leptin.