Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for assessing whether an overweight subject is at risk of gaining weight. The said method comprises the step of detecting at least one gene from a list of bacterial species in a gut DNA sample.

Abstract: The invention regards a screening method for screening for modulators of the expression of hnf4&agr; from the hnf4&agr; P2 promoter region, which method comprises the steps of obtaining a transcription reporter system comprising a nucleotide construct comprising a reporter gene under control of the hnf4&agr; P2 promoter region corresponding to nucleotide 1 to 1447 of the sequence shown in the Sequence listing as SEQ ID No. 1 or a fragment thereof, contacting the transcription reporter system with a putative modulator and assaying for a change in the level of expression of the reporter gene.

Abstract: The present invention provides an isolated polynucleotide molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding PTP-1B, said nucleotide sequence containing a mutation associated with type 2 diabetes of at least one nucleotide, or comprising a fragment of the

Abstract: The present invention relates to a mutant DNA sequence encoding peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-&ggr; coactivator-1 (PGC-1), a method of detecting a mutation in the gene encoding peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-&ggr; coactivator-1, as well as a diagnostic composition and a test kit for use in the method.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a mutant cDNA sequence encoding the regulatory p85.alpha. subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), a method of detecting a mutation in the gene encoding the regulatory p85.alpha. subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, as well as a diagnostic composition and a test kit for use in the method.