NEW YORK, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine say they have identified a process that regulates the formation of distinct fat cell types in mice.
Recent data have indicated the more brown fat cells a person has, the lower their body mass. That, scientists said, contrasts with what is known for white fat cells -- the more white fat cells a person has, the greater their body mass.
It has been suggested that manipulating the development of fat cells so that they become brown fat cells rather than white fat cells might be an approach to treat obesity.
In the new study led by Mark Czaja, researchers showed that in mice with fat cells unable to perform the cellular death process known as autophagy, there were fewer white fat cells and more brown fat cells than normal. Further, the mice were leaner than normal.
The scientists said their findings suggest autophagy has a critical role in determining the type of fat cells formed and that information might provide a new avenue to explore in developing obesity therapies.
The study appears in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
