Gene scissors help you cut out fat.
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Last Update: 2021-01-05
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Source: Internet
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Author: User
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using CRISPR gene editing technology, white fat cells can be converted into brown fat cells that burn energy. The researchers say these engineered cells have helped mice avoid weight gain and diabetes during a high-fat diet and could eventually be used to treat obesity-related diseases. The paper was published recently in Science-Translational Medicine. Adults have large numbers of white fat cells, which form fat deposits, compared with much smaller reserves of brown fat cells, which burn and store energy. Usually, as you get older or gain weight, there are fewer brown fat cells in the body. Brown fat cells appear to be stimulated when people are exposed to low temperatures, but there is no way to help accumulate brown fat cells.
researchers at Harvard University in the United States came up with an alternative. They used CRISPR gene-editing tools to make human white fat cells brown fat cells.
team used CRISPR to locate the genes of the UDP1 protein, which is uniquely expressed in brown fat cells and is fundamentally designed to convert chemical energy into heat. The resulting cells are more like brown fat cells -- they express almost as much UDP1 as a typical brown fat cell and have more mitochondrials than typical white fat cells. Researchers call them human brown fat cells, or HUMBLE cells.
in the second part of the experiment, the researchers transplanted white fat cells, brown fat cells, or HUMM cells into mice with weak immune systems that did not reject human tissue. All the mice were fed high-fat foods.
12 weeks, mice injected with white fat cells gained weight, and if they were normal healthy mice, they might have shown signs of diabetes. But mice that transplanted brown fat cells or HUMLE cells gained significantly less weight.
, who was not involved in the study, said the mice were also more sensitive to insulin, suggesting they may have a protective effect on diabetes.
that in the future, the technology could be used to treat obesity and metabolic disorders. It is possible to remove a small amount of white fat cells from the body, transform them into brown fat cells, and then implant them into the body. The treatment may be an option for those who can't lose weight by dieting and exercising alone, but more research is needed before human studies can be carried out.
also increases the likelihood of using other methods to lose weight and prevent diabetes, according to Christian. The team found that transplanted HUMLE cells appeared to send a chemical signal to the mice's existing brown fat cell storage, stimulating them to burn more energy. Brown fat cells that mimic this signal to activate themselves can provide an easier treatment. (Source: Tang Erdu, China Science Journal)
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