New Enzyme Pocket Regulates Brown Fat Heat and Bone Health

McGill researchers identified a glycerol pocket in the TNAP enzyme that activates the futile creatine cycle in brown fat, providing a separate heat-producing pathway from the classic UCP1 system in mice. The work links TNAP activity to bone mineralization, with genetic data suggesting glycerol-pocket mutations correlate with lower bone density. While promising for new therapies for skeletal disease and possibly obesity/diabetes, the findings are early and focus on enzyme activation and potential TNAP activators.