Obesity, diabetes tied to fat cell protein
CLEVELAND (UPI) -- U.S. scientists suggest a protein involved in the transfer of fat in the blood may influence how fat cells store fat linked to obesity and diabetes.
The study, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, looked at how the protein -- called cholesterol ester transfer protein, or CETP -- is involved in the cellular storage and regulation of cholesterol and other fats.
Richard E. Morton and Lahoucine Izem of the Cleveland Clinic say CETP may be essential for lipid metabolism and storage in fat cells and that fat tissue is not only an energy storage tissue but also a major endocrine organ.
"CETP is known to shuttle different types of fat between lipoproteins -- combinations of fat and protein that transport fats in the blood," Morton said in a statement. "In this study, we show that CETP also shuttles fats inside fat cells between two separate areas and that fat cells with reduced levels of CETP are unable to process fats normally."
CETP deficiency disrupts storage of important fats in fat cells, which can lead to insulin resistance -- a major contributor to diabetes -- and the abnormal release of cytokines, proteins that stimulate the immune system, according to Morton. "This unexpected contribution of CETP provides a new understanding of how our body stores and regulates fats and of conditions such as obesity and diabetes," said Morton.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
The first step to solving a problem is always understanding it...so I hope that now scientists are working on a way to fix CETP deficiency.
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