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Item #9
Researchers
Reveal Molecule Linked to Diabetes, Heart Disease
Researchers
discover that a blood-borne molecule known to make human serum also
makes fat cells.
The
discovery was made recently by University of Utah researchers in
conjunction with Japanese chemists. It holds promise for improved drug
treatments in Type 2 diabetes patients and increasing the
understanding of heart disease in its earliest clinical stages, they
say.
In
the study, researchers discovered that LPA, short for lysophosphaditic
acid, activates a nuclear hormone receptor called PPARgamma to make
fat cells and sensitize the body to insulin. Previously, LPA had been
known as a major growth factor for human serum, the clear liquid that
can be separated from clotted blood, said U. professor of internal
medicine Thomas McIntyre, who also is one of the study's authors.
"One
million or more Type 2 diabetics take medications every day that mimic
LPA's function in activating PPARgamma," McIntyre said in a
statement. "Now that LPA's role in turning on the receptor is
known, researchers may have an avenue to develop new drugs for Type 2
diabetics."
The
researchers also discovered, based on this new information, that LPA
changes blood vessels and plays a role in the buildup of fat,
cholesterol and other substances likely to clog arteries. The U. and
University of Tokyo study is published in a recent issue of
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
McIntyre
said in his statement that biological mechanisms in diabetes and
atherosclerosis are related, and that this discovery raises questions
about whether genes involved in the development of diabetes are
related to LPA in the blood.
One
year ago this month, researchers working independently at two separate
laboratories discovered PPARgamma's role in fat-cell development. The
two teams found the gene that encodes the PPARgamma protein is
responsible for fat-cell development, or adipogenesis. PPARgamma is a
nuclear hormone receptor that regulates gene expression in response to
extra-cellular signals.
The
determination LPA and PPARgamma interact to make fat cells provides an
attractive molecular target for future drug design, the U. study says.
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