Blocking fat transport linked to longevity
Fat finding. Fat transport and storage matters to longevity, according to a new study. Here a store of mouse fat cells (red) is permeated by blood vessels (green). Animals from tiny worms to human beings have a love-hate relationship with fats and lipids. Cholesterol is a famous example of […]
Animals from tiny worms to human beings have a love-hate relationship with fats and lipids. Cholesterol is a famous example of how they are both essential for health and often have a role in death. A new study reveals another way that may be true. Researchers, working in nematodes and mice, found that a naturally occurring protein responsible for transporting fats like cholesterol around the body also hinders essential functions in cells that increase life span.
When the scientists genetically blocked production of the worms’ yolk lipoprotein, called vitellogenin (VIT), the nematodes lived up to 40 percent longer, the study shows. Mice, humans and other mammals produce a directly analogous protein called apolipoprotein B (apoB) and therapies have been developed to reduce apoB to prevent cardiovascular disease.
The new research suggests that there might be a whole other benefit to reducing apoB. Data from the nematodes indicate that apoB’s evolutionary cousin VIT prevents long life span by impairing the ability of cells to use and remodel fats for healthier purposes.
“That protein, which has an ortholog in humans, is a major decider of what happens to fat inside intestinal cells,” said Louis Lapierre, assistant professor of molecular biology, cell biology and biochemistry at Brown University and senior author of the study in the journal Autophagy. “If you reduce the production of these lipoproteins you allow the fat to be reused in different ways.”
Click here to view original web page at www.sciencedaily.com
Category: Wellness
