It’s called TRIP-Br2, and it’s the latest-discovered protein you’ve never heard of. When it’s present, it inhibits the ability of your cells to burn fatty acids for energy. When absent, cells burn fat like it’s going out of style…
At least in mice, they do.
Ugh, another mouse study…. I don’t mean to dismiss them, but it’s a long way from mouse study to human efficacy, and mice are imperfect models when it comes to human nutrition. Still, it’s an interesting find. Most notably because,
TRIP-Br2 is unique in that it regulates how cells burn fat in a few different ways, Hsu said. When TRIP-Br2 is absent, fat cells dramatically increase the release of free fatty acids and also burn fat to produce the molecular fuel called ATP that powers mitochondria — the cell’s energy source. In addition, cells free from the influence of TRIP-Br2 start using free fatty acids to generate thermal energy. (source)
The researchers are using knockout mice (mice who lack the gene sequence that is used to create TRIP-Br2) for their work. Mice who lack the gene sequence for the production of TRIP-Br2 “have higher energy expenditure because of increased adipocyte thermogenesis and oxidative metabolism caused by upregulating key enzymes in the prespective processes (source). Of course, the hope is for them to find a drug that will simulate (or stimulate) the absence of TRIP-Br2 so they can make gazillions of dollars…but if anything, I’m excited to see what, if anything, their research will tell us in regards to nutrition and fat metabolism. Notably, does diet influence the expression of TRIP-Br2?
Lots to think about…
Resources
- Protein Key to Fighting and Preventing Obesity Discovered, Jan 6, 2013. Science Daily.
- Ablation of TRIP-Br2, a regulator of fat lipolysis, thermogenesis and oxidative metabolism, prevents diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance, Liew, Boucher, Cheong et al. Jan 6, 2013. Nature Medicine
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