ETH researchers discover weight loss cells with Sisyphus mechanism
Published: Wednesday, Aug 14th 2024, 12:00
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A newly discovered type of beige fat cell causes biochemical processes to run back and forth seemingly without purpose: ETH Zurich describes this as "useless metabolic cycles" - but at best these could prevent diabetes and obesity.
According to a press release issued by the ETH on Wednesday, the newly discovered fat cells use a process that it describes as a "Sisyphean mechanism". The cells convert fats into fatty acids at full speed - and build up new fats from them just as quickly. And they turn the creatine molecule into the related creatine phosphate in order to convert it back into creatine immediately.
Reduction of excess fat
These useless metabolic cycles are of no overall benefit to the biochemical household, writes the ETH. "But they consume energy and generate heat."
This means that the new class of beige fat cells plays an important role in energy metabolism in the human body, according to Anand Sharma, a postdoc in the group of ETH Professor Christian Wolfrum and co-author of the study. The cells break down excess fat, explains doctoral student and first author Tongtong Wang.
As the researchers were able to show, people with lots of beige fat cells are slimmer and tend to have better metabolic health: they are less prone to obesity and metabolic disorders such as diabetes.
According to the study, the transplantation of beige fat cells into people who only have a few of them and suffer from metabolic diseases or weight problems would be conceivable in the future.
White, brown and beige fat cells
There are white, brown and beige fat cells. White ones store fat in the body as an energy reserve. Brown ones are particularly active in infants, they produce heat and maintain body temperature. Beige fat cells, which are interspersed in white adipose tissue in adults, consume energy. Previously, these were known to generate heat via the protein UCP1.
An international research team from ETH Zurich and other participating institutions has now discovered and described the new class of beige fat cells.
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