New Enzyme Pocket Regulates Brown Fat Heat and Bone Health
TL;DR
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.
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- The Weight Loss Switch: A New Study Finds A 'Hidden' System That Burns Calories And Strengthens Bones NDTV
- McGill finds TNAP switch controls brown fat heat in mice NewsBytes
- Faculty researchers behind two major studies focused on bone tissue and mineralization published in Nature McGill University
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