Microproteins may increase appetite

There are two types of fat: brown fat, which stores nutrients as fat to burn, then produces heat and maintains body temperature, and white fat called “bad fat,” which stores extra calories. But without eliminating them.

Presence of microproteins in white and brown fats

Scientists from the Salk Institute in San Diego (USA) recently noticed that brown fat and white fat contain thousands of tiny proteins, even then unknown. They also discovered that a microprotein called Gm8773 increases appetite in mice. This work has been published in the journal cell metabolism.

As part of this research, the team used genomics technologies to examine brown, white and tan fat, another type of adipose tissue that resembles brown and white fat in mouse cells.

The researchers observed 3,877 genes that produce microtubule proteins in white and brown fat. For the purposes of the study, they examined the levels of these genes in rodents fed a high-fat Western diet. Then they found a link between hundreds of tiny proteins and changes in the metabolism of adipose tissue.

Microproteins Gm8773 increases appetite

During this work, the scientists focused on the Gm8773 protein, which is located within the hypothalamus, a brain gland that regulates many of the body’s functions. According to them, micro-localization of proteins can increase appetite in mice. To verify their hypothesis, they administered Gm8773 protein to obese mice. The latter consume more food than other rodents.

According to the researchers, the human FAM237B gene is similar to Gm8773. So this protein could work in a similar way in humans, possibly boosting appetite in people with extreme weight loss, especially those undergoing chemotherapy. “We hope that this resource will be used to generate new experimental hypotheses that the scientific community can test in their own laboratories, and that this work will lead to the identification of new mechanisms in biology.”Chris Barnes, co-author of the study and chair of the proteomics division at Velia Therapeutics, noted.