Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

November 20, 2019

21/11/2019

Little-known protein appears to play important role in obesity and metabolic disease The recently discovered protein is normally abundant in fat; without it, the body struggles to manage glucose and insulin.

November 20, 2019

LA JOLLA, CA With unexpected findings about a protein that's highly expressed in fat tissue, scientists at Scripps Research have opened the door to critical new understandings about obesity and metabolism. Their discovery, which appears in Nature, could lead to new approaches for addressing obesity and potentially many other diseases.

The signaling protein, known as PGRMC2, had not been extensively studied in the past. Short for progesterone receptor membrane component 2, it had been detected in the uterus, liver and several areas of the body. But the lab of Enrique Saez, PhD, saw that it was most abundant in fat tissue particularly in brown fat, which turns food into heat to maintain body temperature and became interested in its function there.

An important role: heme's travel guide

The team built on their recent discovery that PGRMC2 binds to and releases an essential molecule called heme. Recently in the spotlight for its role in providing flavor to the plant-based Impossible Burger, heme holds a much more significant role in the body. The iron-containing molecule travels within cells to enable crucial life processes such as cellular respiration, cell proliferation, cell death and circadian rhythms.

Using biochemical techniques and advanced assays in cells, Saez and his team found that PGRMC2 is a chaperone of heme, encapsulating the molecule and transporting it from the cell's mitochondria, where heme is created, to the nucleus, where it helps carry out important functions. Without a protective chaperone, heme would react with and destroy everything in its path.

Heme's significance to many cellular processes has been known for a long time, says Saez, associate professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine. But we also knew that heme is toxic to the cellular materials around it and would need some sort of shuttling pathway. Until now, there were many hypotheses, but the proteins that traffic heme had not been identified.

An innovative approach for obesity?

Through studies involving mice, the scientists established PGRMC2 as the first intracellular heme chaperone to be described in mammals. However, they didn't stop there; they sought to find out what happens in the body if this protein doesn't exist to transport heme.

And that's how they made their next big discovery: Without PGRMC2 present in their fat tissues, mice that were fed a high-fat diet became intolerant to glucose and insensitive to insulin hallmark symptoms of diabetes and other metabolic diseases. By contrast, obese-diabetic mice that were treated with a drug to activate PGRMC2 function showed a substantial improvement of symptoms associated with diabetes.

We saw the mice get better, becoming more glucose tolerant and less resistant to insulin, Saez says. Our findings suggest that modulating PGRMC2 activity in fat tissue may be a useful pharmacological approach for reverting some of the serious health effects of obesity.

The team also evaluated how the protein changes other functions of brown and white fat, says the study's lead author, Andrea Galmozzi, PhD. The first surprise finding was that the brown fat looked white, he says.

Brown fat, which is normally the highest in heme content, is often considered the good fat. One of its key roles is to generate heat to maintain body temperature. Among mice that were unable to produce PGRMC2 in their fat tissues, temperatures dropped quickly when placed in a cold environment.

Even though their brain was sending the right signals to turn on the heat, the mice were unable to defend their body temperature, Galmozzi says. Without heme, you get mitochondrial dysfunction and the cell has no means to burn energy to generate heat.

Saez believes it's possible that activating the heme chaperone in other organs including the liver, where a large amount of heme is made could help mitigate the effects of other metabolic disorders such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is a major cause of liver transplantation today.

We're curious to know whether this protein performs the same role in other tissues where we see defects in heme that result in disease Saez says.

Authors of the study, PGRMC2 is an intracellular haem chaperone critical for adipocyte function, include Andrea Galmozzi, Bernard P. Kok, Arthur S. Kim, J. Rafael Montenegro-Burke, Jae Y. Lee, Roberto Spreafico, Sarah Mosure, Verena Albert, Rigo Cintron-Colon, Cristina Godio, William R. Webb, Bruno Conti1, Laura A. Solt, Douglas Kojetin, Christopher G. Parker, John J. Peluso, James K. Pru, Gary Siuzdak, Benjamin F. Cravatt and Enrique Saez.

The work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants (DK099810, DK114785, DK121196, S10OD016357, OD016564). Two of the researchers, Kok and Albert, also were supported by fellowships from the American Heart Association.

Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolic Disorders Saez, Enrique
LINK: https://www.scripps.edu/news-and-events/press-room/2019/20191120-saez-...
See more stories from scripps

North America Stories

14/07/2026

Bowling Green State Upgrades Doyt Perry Stadium With New Daktronics LED Display

South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...

14/07/2026

Mizzou Athletics Launches Connected Digital Platform

Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...

14/07/2026

DePaul Athletics, Playfly Sports Agree to Multimedia Rights Partnership

Agreement spans sponsorship sales, digital monetization, radio production, and new practice facility naming rights...

14/07/2026

American Association Expands Broadcast Reach Through FanDuel Sports Network Partnership

Independent league adds 14 regional sports network affiliates, growing distribut...

14/07/2026

Euroleague Basketball Introduces Euroleague Basketball+ Digital Ecosystem Initiative

New strategy aims to unify competitions, content, fan engagement, and commercial...

14/07/2026

Professional Fighters League, ESPN Reach Multi-Year Media Rights Deal for Brazil

ESPN and Disney+ become exclusive home of PFL events in key international MMA market...

14/07/2026

TEGNA Names Scott Gill VP of Technology and Operations

Gill will oversee engineering, technology, and sports operations across the company's 64 local television stations...

14/07/2026

Guest Post: Dynamic Media Facilities Could Reshape the Future of Broadcast Workflows

Submitted by North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) As broadcasters con...

14/07/2026

Bayerischer Rundfunk Debuts Fully Software-Defined SMPTE ST 2110 Radio OB Van Built Around Lawo Technology

Modernized mobile unit combines HOME Apps, mc 56 console, and IP infrastructure ...

14/07/2026

Scripps Sports, ION Secure U.S. Rights to 2027 FIVB Womens Volleyball World Cup

Every match of the 32-team tournament will air across ION and Scripps Sports platforms in English and Spanish...

14/07/2026

FloSports Lands Exclusive U.S. Rights to IIHF Mens World Championship Beginning in 2027

FloHockey to stream every game of the annual international tournament under four...

14/07/2026

Minnesota Lynx Add Three Games to KARE 11s Over-the-Air Schedule

Victory+ telecasts to be simulcast on TEGNA-owned station, expanding free local distribution...

14/07/2026

CBS Atlanta Adds a Noon Newscast

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/07/2026

Tegna Names Scott Gill VP, Technology and Operations

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/07/2026

Colorado Wildfires Bring Close Call for Broadcasters

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/07/2026

IBC2026 sets conference agenda

IBC2026 has unveiled a powerful Conference programme bringing together global media leaders, technology innovators, creators, sports organisations, broadcasters...

14/07/2026

Nominations for Best of Show Awards at IBC2026 Now Open

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/07/2026

Broadcast Solutions delivers industry-first software-defi...

Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, has delivered two highly capable outsid...

14/07/2026

UPDATED: Scripps, DirecTV End Blackout, Ink New Retrans Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/07/2026

12 States Sue to Block $110 Billion Warner Bros./Paramount Merger

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/07/2026

Heidi Raphael to Head N.Y. State Broadcasters Association

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/07/2026

CBS Atlanta Expands Live Local News Programming

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

14/07/2026

Seven paradoxes shaping the next era of media production - Episode 3

Why Trusted and Secure Media Operations Matter In this series, we explore the technologies, architectures and operational realities shaping modern media operati...

14/07/2026

Why Performance per Watt Is the Ultimate Metric for AI Infrastructure Efficiency

Power is AI infrastructure's inescapable constraint. How many tokens an AI factory can generate within a fixed power budget determines its revenue and profi...

13/07/2026

BravesVision GM Jeff Cravens on Launching MLB's Newest Team-Owned Network in 35 Days

The Braves opted to keep production in-house rather than hand it off to MLB...

13/07/2026

Behind The Mic: Adam Schefter Signs Multi-Year Extension with ESPN

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and repo...

13/07/2026

Eurovision Sport and European Athletics Bring Live Athletics to More Fans with Multilingual AI Commentary Initiative

Eurovision Sport is making live athletics more accessible to fans than ever befo...

13/07/2026

Milwaukee Bucks Return to Full-Season Over-the-Air Television for First Time in 31 Years

The Milwaukee Bucks will return to full-season over-the-air television for the 2...

13/07/2026

SMPTE Expands Education Offerings with Connected Learning Path for IP Media Workflows

SMPTE has announced an expanded education pathway for media technology professio...

13/07/2026

Vizrt Graphics Power Netflix MVP MMA Event at Intuit Dome

Vizrt has announced that its graphics technology was used by broadcast design agency Girraphic for Netflix's debut MVP MMA event, broadcast live from the In...

13/07/2026

ARRI To Sell Global Rental Business to H2 Equity Partners in Management Buyout

ARRI has announced an agreement to sell its global rental activities in Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America to H2 Equity Partners through a management...

13/07/2026

DAZN and Premier Boxing Champions Announce Global Broadcasting Partnership

DAZN has announced a partnership with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) to bring PBC fight nights to DAZN subscribers globally. The partnership begins Saturday, Ju...

13/07/2026

TikTok and WSC Sports Partner To Connect Sports Rightsholders With Content Creators

TikTok and WSC Sports have announced a strategic partnership that gives sports r...

13/07/2026

Ross Video Powers MLB All-Star In-Venue Production for Seventh Consecutive Year

Two new Ross products -Brushback: Full Count and CapGo - are debuting at Citizens Bank Park All-Star festivities...

13/07/2026

MSG Networks Jackie Lyons on Knicks Title Run Coverage, XR Studio Launch, and RSN Production Strategy

MSG Networks' was given exclusive access during the Knicks' unforgettabl...

13/07/2026

Sundance Institute Announces 2026 Producers Labs Fellows

LOS ANGELES, July 13, 2026 - Sundance Institute today announced the 10 producers selected to participate in its annual Producers Labs taking place July 13-18 fo...

13/07/2026

SMPTE Expands Free IP for Media Training Resources

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/07/2026

Composer Andy Dollerson Transforms Independent Film Sound...

Composer and Producer Andy Dollerson has built a career by blending his electroacoustic training with hands on production work for independent artists and filmm...

13/07/2026

SipRadius-maintained libRIST enables full RIST support in...

The next release of the widely used video player VLC 3.0.24 will incorporate full support for RIST, including main profile and some support for advanced profile...

13/07/2026

ARRI Divests Rental Business

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

13/07/2026

Sound Reinforcement for a Live TV Casting Show_An Invisib...

Providing sound reinforcement for a live televised casting show ranks among the most demanding tasks in event technology: the house sound and the broadcast feed...

13/07/2026

Savannah Bananas chooses Calrec to expand broadcast ambit...

Committed to its fans first guiding principle, the genre-defying Savannah Bananas baseball team has placed Calrec at the heart of its growing broadcast story. A...

13/07/2026

Intinor Showcases SMPTE ST 2110 Advancements and DVB comp...

At IBC2026, Intinor will demonstrate its latest developments and present a practical path for broadcasters transitioning to IP workflows. The showcase focuses o...

13/07/2026

Scripps, DirecTV End Blackout, Ink New Retrans Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/07/2026

COW Jobs: Video Production Specialist, Indie Game - Remote

COW Jobs: Video Production Specialist, Indie Game - Remote Brie Clayton July 12, 2026 0 Comments Video Production Specialist (Indie Game) May 29, 20...

11/07/2026

Night Nurse Is for the Sickos

(L-R) Bruce McKenzie, Mimi Rogers, Cemre Paksoy, Georgia Bernstein, El onore Hendricks, and Colleen Rose Trundy attend the Night Nurse premiere during the 202...

11/07/2026

NAB Launches Redesigned Spot Center

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/07/2026

Fujifilm Introduces Cinema Power Zoom for GFX System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/07/2026

NEP Inks New Agreement with Wimbledon

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/07/2026

Rincon Secures Major Milwaukee Bucks Broadcast Rights Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...