日本一个研究小组在27日出版的美国《科学》杂志上发表论文说，他们在以果蝇为对象的实验中发现，果蝇身上一个基因活性下降会使它们怕热。
据日本媒体27日报道，京都大学教授梅田真乡领导的研究小组利用基因工程技术研究果蝇基因，发现果蝇体内一个名为“DmDG”的基因活性一旦下降，果蝇就会“怕热”，从而喜欢向温度更低的地方转移，其喜好的环境温度要比正常情况下低5摄氏度。
梅田真乡等人推测，“DmDG”基因可能与果蝇的代谢功能相关。这个基因活性下降后，果蝇体内能量代谢就会活跃，于是就会更喜欢低温环境。他们认为，生物体内利用基因调节温度适应性的机制普遍存在，这可以使生物适应很大的温度变化。
梅田真乡说，人体内也存在“DmDG”基因，这一基因与人罹患肌营养不良症相关。但是，他们尚不清楚人体内“DmDG”基因活性变化带来的代谢功能变化与肌营养不良症的具体关联。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
Science 27 March 2009:DOI: 10.1126/science.1165712
Changes in Temperature Preferences and Energy Homeostasis in Dystroglycan Mutants
Ken-ichi Takeuchi,1,2 Yoshiro Nakano,3 Utako Kato,1 Mizuho Kaneda,2 Masako Aizu,2 Wakae Awano,4 Shigenobu Yonemura,5 Shigeki Kiyonaka,6 Yasuo Mori,6 Daisuke Yamamoto,7 Masato Umeda1,2*
Temperature affects the physiology, behavior, and evolution of organisms. We conducted mutagenesis and screens for mutants with altered temperature preference in Drosophila melanogaster and identified a cryophilic (cold-seeking) mutant, named atsugari (atu). Reduced expression of the Drosophila ortholog of dystroglycan (DmDG) induced tolerance to cold as well as preference for the low temperature. A sustained increase in mitochondrial oxidative metabolism caused by the reduced expression of DmDG accounted for the cryophilic phenotype of the atu mutant. Although most ectothermic animals do not use metabolically produced heat to regulate body temperature, our results indicate that their thermoregulatory behavior is closely linked to rates of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and that a mutation in a single gene can induce a sustained change in energy homeostasis and the thermal responses.
1 Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan.
2 The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 3-18-22 Honkomagome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8613, Japan.
3 Department of Genetics, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1 Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya 663-8501, Japan.
4 Mitsubishi Kasei Institute of Life Sciences, Machida, Tokyo 194-8511, Japan.
5 RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
6 Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
7 Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan.
