Screening methods for compounds useful for the treatment of body weight disorders, including obesity

• Main Authors: Kleyn, Patrick W, Moore, Karen J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 12.08.2003

The present invention relates to the mammalian tubby (tub) genes, including the human tub gene, which are novel genes involved in the control of mammalian body weight, including recombinant DNA molecules, cloned genes or degenerate variants thereof. The present invention further relates to novel mammalian, including human, tub gene products and to antibodies directed against such mammalian tub gene products, or conserved variants or fragments thereof. The present invention also includes cloning vectors containing mammalian tub gene molecules, and hosts which have been transformed with such molecules. In addition, the present invention presents methods for the diagnostic evaluation and prognosis of mammalian body weight disorders, including obesity, cachexia and anorexia, and for the identification of subjects exhibiting a predisposition to such conditions. Further, methods and compositions are presented for the treatment of mammalian body weight disorders, including obesity, cachexia and anorexia. Still further, the present invention relates to methods for the use of the mammalian tub gene and/or mammalian tub gene products for the identification of compounds which modulate the expression of the mammalian tub gene and/or the activity of the mammalian tub gene products. Such compounds can be used as therapeutic agents in the treatment of mammalian body weight disorders, including obesity, cachexia and anorexia. The present invention relates to the identification of novel nucleic acid molecules and proteins encoded by such nucleic acid molecules or degenerate variants thereof, that participate in the control of mammalian body weight. The nucleic acid molecules of the present invention represent the genes corresponding to the mammalian tub gene, a gene that is involved in the regulation of body weight.