Method and kit for evaluation of predisposition to development of obesity, anti-obesity agent and method for screening thereof, non-human animal, adipose tissue, adipocyte, method for production of transgenic mouse, antigen, and antibody

A kit for evaluating a predisposition to obesity by evaluating whether or not a subject has a predisposition to obesity or an obesity-related condition or disease, the kit comprising:

• measures for detecting a CNV in intron 1 of SLC25A24 gene or a gene polymorphism having a linkage disequilibrium relationship with the CNV in a sample containing a human gene of the subject.

A method of screening an anti-obesity drug, the method comprising the steps of:

• evaluating whether or not each test substance can suppress or regulate the expression of SLC25A24 gene or can inhibit or regulate the activity thereof;
• and
• selecting a test substance that can suppress or regulate the expression of the SLC25A24 gene or can inhibit or regulate the activity thereof and thereby prevents or treats obesity or an obesity-related condition or disease, as an active substance for preventing or treating obesity or an obesity-related condition or disease.

An anti-obesity drug having an effect of preventing or treating obesity or an obesity-related condition or disease, the anti-obesity drug comprising an agent that suppresses or regulates the expression of SLC25A24 gene or inhibits or regulates the activity thereof and having an effect of suppressing differentiation of adipocytes.

A non-human animal having a deficiency in SLC25A24 gene.

A non-human animal overexpressing or stably expressing SLC25A24 gene.

A method of producing a transgenic mouse showing suppression in body weight gain compared with a wild-type mouse, wherein

• gene induction is performed using a plasmid vector containing SLC25A24 gene to overexpress or stably express the SLC25A24 gene.

An anti-SLC25A24 protein antibody specifically reacting with an SLC25A24 protein, wherein

• the antibody is produced using an antigen containing EWRDYFLFNPVTDIEE of an amino acid sequence constituting the SLC25A24 protein, as an epitope.

An antigen for producing an anti-SLC25A24 protein antibody that specifically reacts with an SLC25A24 protein, the antigen comprising:

• EWRDYFLFNPVTDIEE of an amino acid sequence constituting the SLC25A24 protein, as an epitope.