Fed: Mutated mice born fat-free

AAP General News (Australia)
12-23-2003
Fed: Mutated mice born fat-free

Scientists have created a cholesterol-free mouse which they say could help improve
medication for metabolic diseases.

In the latest issue of the journal Science, the researchers say the mutated rodents
could shed light on how the fat-like substance works in humans.

Researchers from Israel and Sweden teamed up to create the mice by disrupting a gene
which appears to be responsible for the last step in the body's synthesis of cholesterol.

So-called bad cholesterol is responsible for laying fatty deposits on the inside of
arteries and contributing to high blood pressure.

But the substance is also a vital structural building block for cells and hormones.

The scientists were surprised when their cholesterol-free mice lived and developed
into adulthood -- albeit with a lower birth-weight and poorer growth record.

They say the smaller size of the cholesterol-free mice demonstrates the importance
of the substance in development.

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KEYWORD: CHOLESTEROL (SYDNEY)

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