The obesity It is a pathology that affects more than a billion people in the world and is classified as such by the World Health Organization (WHO). Public health priority.
Furthermore, it is a Risk factor for various diseases, which results in limitations in the life expectancy and quality of life of those affected. Identification of the molecular factors involved is crucial for the development of therapies that enable their regulation and control.
This is what a study conducted by the Higher Scientific Research Council (CSIC) found The Dido1 protein is crucial for the development of adipose tissue and has the ability to prevent obesity even when fed high-fat diets.
The work, published in the journal PNASdescribes the functions of Dido1 in the development of adipose tissue. By creating genetically modified mice, the authors were able to identify the ability of this gene to prevent obesity.
“The focus of our laboratory is on the development of stem cells. “In previous work on the function of Dido1, we observed that mice with mutations in the amino terminus of the protein had a different phenotype: They were thinner than wild-type mice,” he explains. Thierry Fischer, researcher at the National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC). “For this reason, we decided to investigate the differences in their metabolism.”
The key to adipose tissue
Adipose tissue is the main fat storage organ and plays a fundamental role in the regulation of systemic metabolism and obesity-related diseases.
“Disturbed adipose tissue can lead to an excess or a reduction in body fat (also called lipodystrophy). “We found that the leanness of the mutant mice was due to a decrease in adipose tissue and a low presence of lipids in the blood, even when their nutritional conditions included a high-fat diet,” explains Fischer.
Another author of the study, Gema Medina-Gómezscientist at Rey Juan Carlos University, comments: “When studies on the energy consumption and energy intake of animals in metabolic cages are carried out, the mutant mice have more difficulty using dietary fats efficiently.” “They prefer to turn to carbohydrates.”
Another interesting finding for Guadalupe Sabiois a current researcher at the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) that “the fat change in these animals not only leads to thinness, but also to mild hypothermia.”
Therapeutic implications
Although these results were obtained in experimental mice, they may have important therapeutic implications for metabolic diseases. This model is different from other previously published lipodystrophic mouse models and may represent a new system for research and development of targeted therapeutic interventions.
“The development of this model can be very useful to better understand the regulation of fat storage and distribution,” he concludes. Maria Ángeles García-LópezResearcher at CNB-CSIC and first author.
Reference:
María Ángeles García-López et al.: “DIDO is necessary for adipogenesis, which promotes diet-induced obesity.” PNAS (2024).