A domestic research team has found a gene that plays a critical role in regulating food intake.

The team led by Yoo Kwon at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology said on Tuesday that its study using fruit flies and mice showed a large number of a gene called “minibrain” in animals’ nerve cells promotes secretion of neuropeptides and increases food intake as a result. It said only a small number of the gene decrease food intake.

In the study, food intake increased more than 60 percent in animals with a lot of minibrain, while food intake decreased over 30 percent in animals with a small number of the gene.

The team expects the study will make a significant contribution to the development of medication to treat obesity and metabolic problems as well as research on aging.

The findings were published in the online edition of the journal PLoS Genetics.