8173
0
Posted on Apr 30, 2010, 6 a.m.
UCSD (US) researchers discover that lack of the FIH protein may help control weight, in an animal model.
Factor inhibiting HIF-1alpha, FIH, is protein that serves as an essential regulator of metabolism, as it is involved in the response to low levels of oxygen. University of California in San Diego (UCSD; California, USA) researchers have discovered that laboratory mice lacking the FIH protein exhibited increased insulin sensitivity and decreased adiposity, and despite consuming a high-fat diet were able to remain lean and healthy. The researchers are hopeful that their discovery may lead to identification of new targets for drugs to help control weight.
Na Zhang, Zhenxing Fu, Sarah Linke, Johana Chicher, Jeffrey J. Gorman, DeeAnn Visk, Gabriel G. Haddad, Lorenz Poellinger, Daniel J. Peet, Frank Powell, Randall S. Johnson. “The Asparaginyl Hydroxylase Factor Inhibiting HIF-1α Is an Essential Regulator of Metabolism.” Cell Metabolism, 15 April 2010; doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2010.03.001.
