The group of Toshinori NAKAYAMA and Yusuke ENDO of Chiba University Medical Research Institute identified fatty acid synthese ACC1 as a strong candidate to cause autoimmune diseases in obese people. Based on transcriptional analysis of obese vs. normal mice, candidate genes for an inflammatory pathway were observed and later confirmed in the analysis of related gene expression in obese vs. normal-weight humans.
JST news release, July 31, 2015
Chiba University group finds molecular trigger for inflammatory diseases in obese mice