Scientists identify genes capable of burning brown fat

In fact there are some types of fat - white fat, which contain excess energy, and brown fat, which the body uses to keep warm.

Currently, researchers at the Salk Institute have identified proteins that allow brown fat to release energy, opening a new path to treating obesity and related diseases.

Scientists used to think that only babies have brown fat and use it as a way to keep warm. But it was discovered in adults in 2009.

In it, brown fat cells have more mitochondria - which are the components of cell energy production compared to white blood cells, and this is what allows them to burn energy more efficiently. Scientists have been searching for an object called "fat transducer", which converts white fat to brown.

Later, Salk scientists studied how to maintain brown fat even when the body is not cold. The team looked at the role of a gene called the gamma receptor (ERRγ) related to estrogen, which is very active in brown fat.

The team found that brown fat cells continuously expressed ERRγ activity, while white fat cells failed to express it. The researchers also studied genes other than ERRγ that could also be activated and linked to brown fats.

Michael Downes, co-author of the paper, said: "We have discovered factors that are involved in protecting against cold and brown fat formation."

To test the difference between white and brown fat cells, the researchers examined mice that lacked the complete ERRγ gene. They found that in these mice, brown fat cells were not much different from normal white cells and mice could not regulate their body temperature in cold conditions.

"This not only enhances our understanding of how the body responds to the cold environment but can also provide new insights related to controlling the amount of brown fat in the body, which is relevant. to obesity, diabetes and fatty liver disease, "Ronald Evans, author of the study.

The study is published in Cell Reports.