(Press-News.org) (Boston) – More than 40% of Americans are considered obese, and the trend continues to grow. The treatments or preventive options for obesity and obesity-associated diseases are limited. It is a major national healthcare and public health burden significantly increasing the risk of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer and is linked to the severity of COVID-19.
A research team from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has identified a novel druggable signaling molecule involved in obesity, a previously unknown protein (MINAR2) discovered in 2020 in the laboratory of Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Nader Rahimi, PhD.
“This finding can help to unravel new aspects in the mechanisms of obesity and diabetes, which could lead to the development of novel therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of obesity and diabetes,” said Rahimi, a corresponding author of a paper Inactivation of Minar2 in Mice Hyperactivates mTOR Signaling and Results in Obesity published online in Molecular Metabolism.
To study the role of MINAR2 in obesity, the research team generated global MINAR2 knockout animal models that eliminated that gene's function. MINAR2-deficient animal models fed on a normal non-high fat diet showed an increased fat mass ratio compared to control sex- and age-matched models. When MINAR2-deficient animal models were fed a high-fat diet (HFD), they gained weight faster than control models and developed obesity with impaired glucose tolerance, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes.
Researchers found that mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling which regulates metabolism and other cellular processes such as cell proliferation, and autophagy is hyperactivated in the fat cells of MINAR2-deficient animal models. MINAR2 interacts with raptor, a specific and essential component mTOR complex 1 and is a physiological negative regulator of mTOR signaling with a significant role in obesity and metabolic disorders.
“Anti-obesity therapy has proven challenging and most of the anti-obesity medications to date have poor or insufficient efficacy with questionable safety. MINAR2 is a druggable molecule and drugs that targets MINAR2 could lead to the development of effective therapeutics,” said Rahimi. “Control of excess body fat is one of the greatest scientific and medical challenges of our time. Further basic and translational research on MINAR2 could lead to a promising therapeutic target for diet-induced obesity.”
Acknowledgment and Funding: This work was supported in part through a grant from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Genome Science Institute (to C.E.C. and N.R.), the Center of Cross-Organ Vascular Pathology, DOM, BU (VC) and NIH grants R24 GM134210, S10 OD021728, S10 OD010724 (C.E.C.).
END
New study uncovers role of previously unknown protein in obesity and diabetes
Discovery could lead drug therapies targeting obesity
2023-05-26
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Study finds distinct patterns of pre-existing brain health characteristics in stroke patients
2023-05-26
University of Cincinnati researchers are presenting abstracts at the European Stroke Organization Conference (ESOC) 2023, May 24-26 in Munich, Germany, including the results of the first large-scale assessment of radiological brain health in stroke patients in a population.
Extensive research has helped pinpoint risk factors for initial stroke, but there is limited understanding about what the brains of stroke patients look like on a population level, according to UC’s Achala Vagal, MD, professor of neuroradiology.
“Imaging can be an objective manifestation of the presence ...
Nanorobotic system presents new options for targeting fungal infections
2023-05-26
Infections caused by fungi, such as Candida albicans, pose a significant global health risk due to their resistance to existing treatments, so much so that the World Health Organization has highlighted this as a priority issue.
Although nanomaterials show promise as antifungal agents, current iterations lack the potency and specificity needed for quick and targeted treatment, leading to prolonged treatment times and potential off-target effects and drug resistance.
Now, in a groundbreaking development with far-reaching implications for global ...
Bird brains can flick switch to perceive Earth’s magnetic field
2023-05-26
Earth’s magnetic field, generated by the flow of molten iron in the planet’s inner core, extends out into space and protects us from cosmic radiation emitted by the Sun. It is also, remarkably, used by animals like salmon, sea turtles and migratory birds for navigation.
But how? And why? A new study from researchers at Western’s Advanced Facility for Avian Research (AFAR), home to the world’s first hypobaric climatic wind tunnel for bird flight, explores a brain region called cluster N that migratory birds use to perceive Earth’s magnetic field. The team discovered the region is activated very ...
Food for thought: UH study highlights the role of clean technology in reducing food waste
2023-05-26
Foodservice companies have long struggled with the challenge of what to do with all of their food waste. But researchers at the University of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership are shedding light on how clean technology can help those companies reduce waste and establish long-term sustainability goals.
In a study published in the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, Tiffany S. Legendre, an associate professor at Hilton College, and her team, interviewed 17 leaders of the country’s largest on-site foodservice providers (e.g., Aramark, Compass and Sodexo), ...
Illinois Tech announced as enrollment partner in NIH’s AI precision nutrition research, largest project of its kind
2023-05-26
CHICAGO—May 26, 2023—Illinois Institute of Technology is one of 14 institutions chosen as an enrollment site for the National Institute of Health’s landmark initiative to advance nutrition research. Nutrition for Precision Health (NPH), powered by the All of Us Research Program, is working to engage 10,000 participants from diverse backgrounds across the United States with the aim of learning about how our bodies respond differently to food.
NPH will use artificial intelligence–based ...
World leader in photonics gives talk at Aston University
2023-05-26
Talk by one of the leading lights in optical communications
Dr. Ming-Jun Li is currently a corporate fellow at Corning Incorporated
He discussed installed optical fibres for ultra-wideband transmission systems.
26 May 2023 | Birmingham, UK
Aston University has hosted one of the leading lights in optical communications and speciality optical fibres at its second international photonics workshop.
Dr. Ming-Jun Li is currently a corporate fellow at Corning Incorporated in the USA and headed ...
GPS tracking reveals how a female baboon stopped using urban space after giving birth
2023-05-26
A new study from Swansea University and the University of Cape Town provides the first documented evidence of a cessation in urban space use by a female baboon after giving birth: another example of how wild animals are adaptively responding to urbanisation.
The study, recently published in the journal Ecology & Evolution, used GPS collars to track the movements of 13 chacma baboons in Cape Town, South Africa.
The data revealed that when one collared female gave birth, she stopped using urban space without any significant change in daily distance travelled or social interactions that would be expected with general risk-sensitive behaviour during this ...
Tree islands bring biodiversity to oil palm plantations
2023-05-26
Islands of trees in oil palm plantations can significantly increase biodiversity within five years without reducing productivity. This has been shown by an experiment, which has been running for over ten years in Indonesia as part of the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) "EFForTS" at the University of Göttingen. An international team of researchers led by Göttingen planted experimental islands of trees in plantations on the island of Sumatra to counteract the species loss caused by the ...
Innovative endoscopic imaging system can detect multiple fluorescent tracers
2023-05-26
For patients with solid cancers, endoscopic surgery is one of the primary treatment options to remove tumors. However, there is a high risk of cancer recurrence if even a small number of cancerous cells are left behind after surgical resection. To prevent this from happening, researchers developed fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS). In FGS, patients are injected with a fluorescent probe that preferentially binds to tumor cells, enabling surgeons to easily identify lesions with the help of specialized endoscopes that emit the necessary excitation light.
Unfortunately, tumors can be highly heterogeneous, ...
CHOP researchers show that IgA fine tunes the body’s interactions with microbes
2023-05-26
Philadelphia, May 26, 2023—IgA deficiency is the most common primary immune deficiency worldwide, but its presentation has puzzled physcians and researchers. Some with the disorder present with symptoms like recurrent infections, autoimmune disease, or allergies, whereas others have no symptoms at all and only become aware of their IgA-deficient status through an incidental finding on a blood test. This variability has raised the question among researchers: Why aren’t many of those with IgA deficiency sicker?
A new study by researchers at Children’s ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Hear here: How loudness and acoustic cues help us judge where a speaker is facing
A unique method of rare-earth recycling can strengthen the raw material independence of Europe and America
Epilepsy self-management program shows promise to control seizures, improve mood and quality of life
Fat may play an important role in brain metabolism
New study finds no lasting impact of pandemic pet ownership on human well-being
New insights on genetic damage of some chemotherapies could guide future treatments with less harmful side effects
Gut microbes could protect us from toxic ‘forever chemicals’
Novel modelling links sea ice loss to Antarctic ice shelf calving events
Scientists can tell how fast you're aging from a single brain scan
U.S. uterine cancer incidence and mortality rates expected to significantly increase by 2050
Public take the lead in discovery of new exploding star
What are they vaping? Study reveals alarming surge in adolescent vaping of THC, CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids
ECMWF - delivering forecasts over 10 times faster and cutting energy usage by 1000
Brazilian neuroscientist reveals how viral infections transform the brain through microscopic detective work
Turning social fragmentation into action through discovering relatedness
Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find
Study reveals most common medical emergencies in schools
Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks
Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems
Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions
Achieving 20% efficiency in halogen-free organic solar cells via isomeric additive-mediated sequential processing
New book Terraglossia reclaims language, Country and culture
The most effective diabetes drugs don't reach enough patients yet
Breast cancer risk in younger women may be influenced by hormone therapy
Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab
Commentary questions the potential benefit of levothyroxine treatment of mild hypothyroidism during pregnancy
Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues
New study reveals 33% gap in transplant access for UK’s poorest children
Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer
[Press-News.org] New study uncovers role of previously unknown protein in obesity and diabetesDiscovery could lead drug therapies targeting obesity