Gene Discovery: A Double-Edged Sword for Heart Health

A scientist in Dallas has made a big discovery about how a gene can cause fatty livers but also protect arteries. Zhao Zhang, who works at UT Southwestern Medical Center, won a big award from the American Heart Association for this finding. The award, called the Jack Sarver Prize, comes with $25, 000 to help Zhang keep researching. The gene in question, called HELZ2, usually helps break down molecules that carry instructions for making proteins. But when it's overactive, it messes up the production of a protein that moves fat and cholesterol around the body. This leads to fatty liver disease in mice, but it also stops the buildup of plaque in their arteries, which is good for heart health. Zhang started this research to understand metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. About one in three adults in the U. S. has this syndrome. Zhang and his team used mice to study how random genetic mutations affect metabolism. They found that the overactive HELZ2 gene causes fatty livers but also prevents atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque in blood vessels. This discovery is important because it could lead to new treatments for conditions like fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis. However, the gene's double-edged effect means that any future treatments will need to carefully balance the risks and benefits. Zhang hopes to find drugs that can treat one problem without making the other worse. The American Heart Association created the Jack Sarver Prize to honor families affected by heart disease and to support early- and midcareer scientists. The award also recognized Dr. Zainab Mahmoud for her research on using low-dose aspirin to prevent preeclampsia in Nigerian women.