SIRT6: The Protein That Regulates Aging Also Protects Against Fatty Liver And Fatty Liver Disease
Source : Thailand Medical News Dec 21, 2019 4 years, 3 months, 4 weeks, 13 hours, 41 minutes ago
Hepatic steatosis or
fatty liver disease which develops when the body produces too much fat or doesn't metabolize fat efficiently enough, affects around 25% of the global population. Excess fat is stored in liver cells, where it accumulates and can cause
fatty liver and other diseases.
A new research study just published in the journal
Cell Reports, reveals for the first time that
SIRT6, a protein involved in regulating many biological processes such as aging, obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation and metabolism, also plays a crucial role in burning and regulating
liver fat metabolism.
The protein
SIRT6 regulates fat metabolism by activating another protein called peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-alpha). This protein promotes the burning of fat in the
liver.
The study's lead author Prof. Haim Cohen, of Bar-Ilan University's Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences told
Thailand Medical News during an interview,"
SIRT6 is like a juggler that balances and coordinates between metabolic processes in the body.By working together with PPAR-alpha,
SIRT6 can actually send a message to the body to burn more fat. This cooperation is one way in which
SIRT6 protects against f
atty liver and
fatty liver disease, as well as obesity-related damage."
Past research by Cohen and colleagues revealed that increased
SIRT6 extends lifespan. To test how the protein might also extend healthy lifespan the researchers in this study increased regular
SIRT6 levels to counteract the decrease in
SIRT6 found in a high fat diet and
fatty liver disease. Using a computational tool developed with Prof. Ziv Bar Joseph from Carnegie Mellon University, they looked at different metabolic states, such as fasting and regular diet, and found that a greater expression of
SIRT6 leads to the burning of more fat, specifically in the liver.
Dr Shoshana Naiman, a doctoral student at Bar-Ilan University's Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, who co-authored the study further added, "Not only does
SIRT6 work with PPAR-alpha to prime the body to burn more fat and coordinate fat metabolism in the liver, but it can also regulate other metabolic pathways related to fat in the liver such as cholesterol and triglycerides metabolism."
Reference: Shoshana Naiman et al, SIRT6 Promotes Hepatic Beta-Oxidation via Activation of PPARα, Cell Reports (2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.1
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