Inserting Molecular Shunt Into Mice Liver Can Burn More Fat

University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), scientists have shown that mice can be made to burn more fat by inserting a molecular shunt into their livers.

The researchers have revealed that the so-called glycoxylate shunt consists of two metabolic enzymes normally found in bacteria and plants, but not in mammals.

Turmeric Prevents Diabetes in Mice Experiment
Columbia University researchers find turmeric-treated mice are less susceptible to developing Type 2 diabetes.

"It's an additional channel for burning fat to control obesity," said lead researcher James Liao.

"This creates a shortcut through (the normal pathway). It's like putting in a toll road," adds Katrina Dipple, also of UCLA.

The researchers said that before starting the study, they just did not know what to the enzymes taken from E. coli bacteria would do when placed in mammalian cells.

Blood Pressure Drug Linked to Weight Loss in Mice
The pills people take to decrease blood pressure could also help them lose weight and body fat, according to a new study on mice.

"There was no guarantee it would work. But we were brave enough to try," Liao said.

However, the research team found human liver cells expressing the enzymes burn more fat, and mice with the shunt resisting becoming obese despite eating a high-fat diet.

The Protein That Warns the Liver That Fatty Cheese Burger is on Its Way
Just after you finish gorging on burger, french fries and cola, a protein produced by the liver sends a signal that fat is on the way, according to a study.

Liao and Dipple traced those effects to lower levels of a fat metabolite called malonyl-CoA and an additional fat oxidation pathway.

"By perturbing the system, we were able to find how it's controlled," Dipple said.

The researchers say that their findings indicate that malonyl-CoA may be a good target for therapies aimed at ramping up fat breakdown.

They say that their study does offer proof-of-principle for a new way to study metabolism.

"Usually, we study metabolism by knocking out a gene or replenishing one that is missing. In this case, we introduced a new pathway to see the response," Liao said.

A research article on the study has been published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Source-ANI
ARU