A multidisciplinary scientific team has identified a fundamental mechanism that regulates how the body uses stored fat to produce energy. A specialized source revealed on Wednesday.
According to a study published in The EMBO Journal, experts showed that calcium present inside mitochondria acts as a signal. That determines whether these organelles remain attached to or separate from the lipid droplets, where cells store fat.
Mitochondria are the cellular structures responsible for generating most of the energy necessary for tissue function.
“In brown adipose tissue, a type of fat specialized in heat production and energy expenditure. Some mitochondria remain physically associated with the lipid droplets. Forming what are called peridropletal mitochondria,” the source emphasizes.
These mitochondria, the specialists add, play an essential role in managing cellular energy reserves. The research showed that increased calcium levels inside mitochondria cause changes in their morphology. And promote their separation from lipid droplets.
“Also this process is essential for the enzymes responsible for fat breakdown, known as lipases. To access stored lipids and convert them into energy,” the article explains.
This separation of mitochondria occurs before the start of lipolysis. Acting as a kind of molecular switch that triggers the mobilization of fat reserves. The study highlighted the role of phosphodiesterase PDE2A. A protein that indirectly regulates this system by modulating intracellular calcium levels.
Moreover the scientists demonstrated that in animal models of obesity, PDE2A inhibition increased the association between mitochondria and lipid droplets. Reduced fat breakdown, and promoted the use of glucose as an energy source.
This metabolic change was associated with improved energy control and increased metabolic expenditure.
Furthermore the scientists concluded that the interaction between mitochondria and lipid droplets is a dynamic process finely regulated by intracellular signals. Such as calcium, and this opens potential avenues for the development of therapeutic strategies against obesity and other metabolic diseases.
With information from Prensa Latina
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