論文の筆頭著者Lei Cao講師
身体的・社会的課題が豊富な環境では,エネルギーを蓄積する白色細胞がエネルギーを燃焼する褐色細胞に変わり,肥満が抑制されることが動物実験で分かった。回し車や迷路などおもちゃを入れた広いケージで15~20匹ずつ飼育したマウスは,5匹ずつ狭いケージで飼育したマウスと比べ,白色脂肪が極端に少なく,高脂肪食を与えた際の体重増加が3割少なかった。前者のマウスの視床下部では,交感神経を刺激して褐色細胞の産生を促す信号を送るタンパク質が増加しており,この機序を薬理学的に活性化する肥満予防法も考えられる。(吉田素子)
Scientists Discover Switch That Turns White Fat Brown
Scientists have discovered a biological switch that gives energy-storing white fat the characteristics of energy-burning brown fat. The findings could lead to new strategies for treating obesity.
The animal study by researchers at The Ohio State University Medical Center shows that the change is due to the activation of a nerve and biochemical pathway that begins in the hypothalamus, an area of the brain involved in energy balance, and ends in white fat cells. This pathway, called the hypothalamic-adipocyte axis, also induces brown-fat-like cells within masses of white fat.
The white-to-brown fat transformation occurs when animals are placed in an enriched environment, one with a variety of social and physical challenges.
The findings are published in the September issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.
"One of the holy grails of obesity therapy is to understand how to switch white fat to brown fat, and this study describes a new way to do exactly that," says study leader and researcher Dr. Matthew J. During, professor of neuroscience, of neurological surgery and of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics.
"Our findings suggest that we can potentially induce this transformation by modifying our lifestyle or by pharmacologically activating this brain-fat pathway."
Lead and corresponding author Dr. Lei Cao, assistant professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, notes that obesity is caused by a chronic energy surplus that is stored as lipid in white fat. "Increasing the output of energy is always attractive for obesity treatment, which is why the discovery of brown fat in adult humans caused much excitement a few years ago," she says.
[単語和訳]
White Fat:白色脂肪
biological:生物学的 energy-storing:エネルギーを蓄える energy-burning:エネルギーを燃焼させる brown fat:褐色脂肪 strategies:方策 obesity:肥満
researchers:研究者 activation:活性化 nerve:神経 biochemical pathway:生化学的経路 hypothalamus:視床下部 brain:脳 cells:細胞 hypothalamic-adipocyte axis:視床下部‐脂肪細胞系 induces:~を誘導する -like:~様の
transformation:変換 enriched:強化された,充実した
Metabolism:代謝(Cell Metabolismは雑誌名)
holy grails:至高の目標 therapy:治療 neuroscience:神経科学 neurological surgery:脳神経外科 molecular virology:分子ウイルス学 immunology:免疫学 medical genetics:遺伝医学
potentially:潜在的に modifying:~を修正すること pharmacologically:薬理学的に activating:~を活性化すること
Lead and corresponding author:筆頭著者および責任著者 assistant professor:講師 chronic:慢性的な surplus:余剰 lipid:脂質