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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.