N-acetylaspartate pathway is nutrient responsive and coordinates lipid and energy metabolism in brown adipocytes.

ABSTRACT: The discovery of significant amounts of metabolically active brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adult humans renders it a promising target for anti-obesity therapies by inducing weight loss through increased energy expenditure. The components of the N-acetylaspartate (NAA) pathway are highly abundant in BAT. Aspartate N-acetyltransferase (Asp-NAT, encoded by Nat8l) synthesizes NAA from acetyl-CoA and aspartate and increases energy expenditure in brown adipocytes. However, the exact mechanism how the NAA pathway contributes to accelerated mobilization and oxidation of lipids and the physiological regulation of the NAA pathway remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the expression of NAA pathway genes corresponds to nutrient availability and specifically responds to changes in exogenous gluco

SUBMITTER: Huber K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6390944 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature