Diabesity: Discovering the Connecting Link Between Obesity and Diabetes

A new druggable signaling molecule involved in obesity has been discovered as NOTCH2-associated receptor2 (MINAR2) in 2020. This new finding described in the journal Molecular Metabolism can help to unravel new aspects of the mechanisms of obesity and diabetes. More than 40% of Americans are considered obese, and the trend continues to grow. The treatments or preventive options for obesity and obesity-associated diseases are limited (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Obesity: global epidemiology and pathogenesis

Go to source). It is a major national healthcare and public health burden significantly increasing the risk of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer and is linked to the severity of COVID-19.

A research team from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has found a solution for this problem. To study the role of MINAR2 in obesity, they generated global MINAR2 knockout animal models that eliminated that gene's function.

Novel Protein MINAR2: A Potential Game Changer in Obesity Treatment

MINAR2-deficient animal models fed on a normal non-high fat diet showed an increased fat mass ratio compared to control sex- and age-matched models. When MINAR2-deficient animal models were fed a high-fat diet (HFD), they gained weight faster than control models and developed obesity with impaired glucose tolerance, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Inactivation of Minar2 in Mice Hyperactivates mTOR Signaling and Results in Obesity

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Researchers found that the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling which regulates metabolism and other cellular processes such as cell proliferation, and autophagy is hyperactivated in the fat cells of MINAR2-deficient animal models.

MINAR2 interacts with the raptor, a specific and essential component mTOR complex 1, and is a physiological negative regulator of mTOR signaling with a significant role in obesity and metabolic disorders.

Anti-obesity therapy has proven challenging and most of the anti-obesity medications to date have poor or insufficient efficacy with questionable safety. MINAR2 is a druggable molecule and drugs that target MINAR2 could lead to the development of effective therapeutics (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Anti-obesity drugs: past, present and future

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Control of excess body fat is one of the greatest scientific and medical challenges of our time. Further basic and translational research on MINAR2 could lead to a promising therapeutic target for diet-induced obesity.

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References:

1. Obesity: global epidemiology and pathogenesis - (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-019-0176-8)
2. Inactivation of Minar2 in Mice Hyperactivates mTOR Signaling and Results in Obesity - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212877823000789)
3. Anti-obesity drugs: past, present and future - (https://journals.biologists.com/dmm/article/5/5/621/3257/Anti-obesity-drugs-past-present-and-future)

Source-Eurekalert