Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Positional cloning of the mouse obese gene and its human homologue

Nature volume 372, pages 425–432 (1994)Cite this article

Abstract

The mechanisms that balance food intake and energy expenditure determine who will be obese and who will be lean. One of the molecules that regulates energy balance in the mouse is the obese (ob) gene. Mutation ofobresults in profound obesity and type II diabetes as part of a syndrome that resembles morbid obesity in humans. The ob gene product may function as part of a signalling pathway from adipose tissue that acts to regulate the size of the body fat depot.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Burros, M. Despite awareness of risks, more in US are getting fat in The New York Times 17 July 1994.

  2. Grundy, S. M. & Barnett, J. P. Disease-a-Month 36, 645–696 (1990).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Friedman, J. M. & Leibel, R. L. Cell 69, 217–220 (1990).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Ingalls, A. M., Dickie, M. M. & Snell, G. D. J. Hered. 41, 317–318 (1950).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Friedman, J. M. et al. Genomics 11, 1054–1062 (1991).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Coleman, D. L. Diabetologia 14, 141–148 (1978).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Dickie, M. M. & Lane, P. W. Mouse News Lett. 17, 52 (1957).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Bahary, N. et al. Mamm. Genome 4, 511–515 (1993).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Walther, C. et al. Genomics 11, 424–434 (1991).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Riley, J. et al. Nucleic Acids Res. 18, 2887–2890 (1990).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Hermanson, G. G. et al. Nucleic Acids Res. 19, 4943–4948 (1991).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Sternberg, N. Trends Genet. 8, 11–16 (1992).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Hartl, D. L. & Nurminsky, D. I. BioTechniques 15, 201–208 (1993).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Dietrich, W. et al. Genetics 131, 423–447 (1992).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Church, D. M. et al. Nature Genet. 6, 98–105 (1994).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Gish, W. & States, D. J. Nature Genet. 3, 266–272 (1993).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Kozak, M. Cell 44, 283–292 (1986).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Frohman, M. A., Dush, M. K. & Martin, G. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85, 8998–9002 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Padgett, R. A. et al. A. Rev. Biochem. 55, 1119–1150 (1986).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Cooper, D. N. & Youssoufian, H. Hum. Genet. 78, 151–155 (1988).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Heijne, G. v. Nucleic Acids Res. 14, 4683–4690 (1986).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Sabatini, D. D. & Adesnick, M. B. The Metabolic Basis of Inherited Disease (eds Scriver, C. R. et al.) 177–223 (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1989).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Coleman, D. L. Science 203, 663–665 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Bray, G. A. Int. J. Obesity 14, 909–926 (1990).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Rubner, M. Ztschr. Biol. 30, 73–142 (1894).

    Google Scholar 

  26. Adolph, E. F. Am. J. Physiol. 151, 110–125 (1947).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Hervey, G. R. Nature 222, 629–631 (1969).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Cannon, W. B. & Washburn, A. L. Am. J. Physiol. 29, 441–454 (1912).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Brobeck, J. R. Physiol. Rev. 25, 541–559 (1946).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Hetherington, A. W. & Ranson, S. W. Am. J. Physiol. 136, 609–617 (1942).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Brobeck, J. R. Yale J. Biol. Med. 20, 545–552 (1948).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Kennedy, G. C. Proc. R. Soc. B 140, 578–592 (1953).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Mayer, J. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 63, 15–43 (1955).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Hervey, G. R. J. Physiol. 145, 336–352 (1959).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Bray, G. A. J. Nutrition 121, 1146–1162 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Bahary, N. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 8642–8646 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Neel, J. V. Am. J. hum. Genet. 14, 353–362 (1962).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  38. Larin, Z., Monaco, A. P. & Lehrach, H. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88, 4123–4127 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Green, E. D. & Olson, M. V. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 1213–1217 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Kusuml, K. et al. Mamm. Genome 4, 391–392 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Vidal, S. M. et al. Cell 73, 469–485 (1993).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Friedman, J. M. et al. Genomics 11, 1054–1062 (1991).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Chirgwin, J. M. et al. Biochemistry 18, 5294–5299 (1979).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Friedman, J. M., Cheng, E. & Darnell, J. E. J. molec Biol. 179, 37–53 (1984).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Wang, A. M., Doyle, M. V. & Mark, D. F. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 86, 9717–9721 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Benton, W. D. & Davis, R. W. Science 195, 180–182 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  47. Burmeister, M. & Lehrach, H. Trends. Genet. 5, 41 (1989).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Sanger, F., Nicklen, S. & Coulson, A. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 5463–5467 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Venter, C. J. Automated DNA Sequencing and Analysis (Academic, New York, 1993).

    Google Scholar 

  50. Yu, Y. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 86, 9931–9935 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Jeffrey M. Friedman: To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 1230 york avenue, New York, New York, 10021, USA

    Yiying Zhang, Ricardo Proenca, Marisa Barone, Lori Leopold & Jeffrey M. Friedman

  2. The Rockefeller University, 1230 york avenue, New York, New York, 10021, USA

    Yiying Zhang, Ricardo Proenca, Margherita Maffei, Marisa Barone, Lori Leopold & Jeffrey M. Friedman

Authors
  1. Yiying Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ricardo Proenca
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Margherita Maffei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Marisa Barone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Lori Leopold
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jeffrey M. Friedman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, Y., Proenca, R., Maffei, M. et al. Positional cloning of the mouse obese gene and its human homologue. Nature 372, 425–432 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/372425a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/372425a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing