Researchers Find Gene That Helps Control Stomach Acid
Thursday November 13, 2008
University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have discovered a gene that helps control the secretion of acid in the stomach -- information that could one day aid scientists in creating more efficient treatment options for conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or peptic ulcers.
This data is published in the November 2008 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
UC professor Manoocher Soleimani, MD, and colleagues found that when transporter Slc26a9, the gene responsible for the production of chloride in the stomach, is eliminated from the mouse model's system, acid secretion in the stomach stops.
Gastric acid, comprised mainly of hydrochloric acid (HCL), is the main secretion in the stomach and helps the body to break down and digest food.
"Investigators were already aware of the gene that caused hydrogen to secrete in the stomach, but the gene that caused chloride to secrete has remained an unknown," Soleimani says. "When we knocked out, or eliminated, this specific transporter in mouse models, acid secretion in the stomach completely halted."
"The hydrogen and chloride genes must work together in order for the stomach to produce acid and function normally."
Soleimani, director of UC's nephrology division and principal investigator of the study, hopes that this data can help researchers create more therapies for people who overproduce stomach acid.
"With this information, we hope to one day be able to administer gene therapies to patients and avoid this painful and damaging problem altogether," he says.
Related Resources: Treatment Options:
This data is published in the November 2008 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
UC professor Manoocher Soleimani, MD, and colleagues found that when transporter Slc26a9, the gene responsible for the production of chloride in the stomach, is eliminated from the mouse model's system, acid secretion in the stomach stops.
Gastric acid, comprised mainly of hydrochloric acid (HCL), is the main secretion in the stomach and helps the body to break down and digest food.
"Investigators were already aware of the gene that caused hydrogen to secrete in the stomach, but the gene that caused chloride to secrete has remained an unknown," Soleimani says. "When we knocked out, or eliminated, this specific transporter in mouse models, acid secretion in the stomach completely halted."
"The hydrogen and chloride genes must work together in order for the stomach to produce acid and function normally."
Soleimani, director of UC's nephrology division and principal investigator of the study, hopes that this data can help researchers create more therapies for people who overproduce stomach acid.
"With this information, we hope to one day be able to administer gene therapies to patients and avoid this painful and damaging problem altogether," he says.
Related Resources: Treatment Options:
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