Altering Protein Levels Helps Change Body Fat

Researchers at the USC Davis School of Gerontology have found that a protein could help determine how much fat accumulates in the body. Findings showed that what's known as the Maf1 protein in humans could be modified to help control the levels of fat storage in overweight and obese individuals.

"We've known about Maf1 for over a decade, but so far people have only studied it in single cells, where it is known to regulate protein synthesis," study author Sean Curran, assistant professor at the USC Davis School of Gerontology, said in a news release. "No one really looked at its effect on the whole organism before."

For the study, researchers experimented on C. elegans, a transparent worm that can be used as a model organism by scientists. Findings showed that adding a single extra copy of gene that expresses Maf1 helped to decrease stored fat by up to 34 percent, while reducing Maf1 levels increased stored fat by 94 percent.

In the future, the study authors said they hope to replicate similar findings and mice and then, humans.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Cell Reports.

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