A new study initiated in 2006 and co-developed by Research Assistant Professor Dr Roger Wong Hoi-fung of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and a resaerch team at the University of California, Berkeley, has identified a newly discovered protein, which is increased by cold exposure, critical for the conversion of white fat to brown fat that generates heat. This study was published in the January issue of journal “Molecular Cell”.
The protein discovered by the team is a fat-burning gene which can trigger the process of “browning” the majority of fat, i.e. white fat that stores excess energy in our bodies, to resist cold and lose weight. Transgenic mice with higher levels of the Zfp516 protein gained 30 percent less weight than counterparts when fed on a high-fat diet. By activating this protein through potential drugs in the future, one could end up with more brown fat without chilling and lose weight without exercising.
This new discovery is part of the larger research effort of a continuous study of regulation of lipid metabolism and therapeutic treatment of metabolic diseases including obesity, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Previously, Dr Wong had discovered two key genes, DNA-PK in 2009 and BAF60c in 2013, which controls the regulation of making fat.
