Lipid metabolism researches new possibilities against viruses, cancer and obesity

New mechanisms discovered to control fatty acid metabolism

Fats are the basis of life in the human body. Mainly fat consists of fatty acids. So far, however, it was largely unknown how exactly the build-up of fatty acids to fats takes place. A German research team now deciphered the development process of the fatty acid metabolism. The enzyme ACC plays a key role in this process, while offering completely new approaches in the fight against viruses, cancer and obesity.

Researchers from the Biozentrum at the University of Basel have shown for the first time how the enzyme ACC initiates the production of fatty acids. According to the scientists, the enzyme assembles into fibers. The way this happens determines fatty acid production. This process could be targeted as a target for various therapies or medicines. The results of the study were recently published in the renowned journal "Nature".

A research team from the University of Basel has unraveled previously unknown mechanisms in lipid metabolism that can be used as new approaches against viruses, cancer and obesity. (Image: staras / fotolia.com)

The fat metabolism as a target for viruses and cancer cells

According to the researchers, the enzyme ACC has a central position in the metabolism, making it an important target for drug development. In cancer or viral infections could be used here, since both viruses and cancer cells need huge amounts of fatty acids as building blocks to form membranes.

Derail metabolism in case of obesity

In the condition known as the metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity with high levels of abdominal fat are indications of major health risks. In particular, the lipid metabolism seems to play an important role here. The abdominal fat releases pathogenic substances into the blood, as an international research team from the German Diabetes Center recently found out. The enzyme ACC provides a target for this metabolic derailment. The scientists from Basel talk about possible inhibitors that could reduce fatty acid production.

Fat is not just fat

There are a variety of different fats in the human body, which are used for example as fuel and energy storage, but also as a building block for messengers, cell membranes and hormones. However, one thing is common to all types of fats: they are all made from the same starting material, namely the enzyme ACC or long acetyl-CoA carboxylase. The researchers refer to the enzyme as "the linchpin of fatty acid synthesis".

A long-unresolved mystery

ACC and its approximate function have been known for almost sixty years. So far, however, the functionality could not be completely clarified. The research team led by Prof. Timm Maier brought light into the darkness here. "For the first time, we were able to decode the structure of the ACC fibers and demonstrate their influence on the enzyme activity," explains Maier in a press release from the University of Basel. Thus, the team has clarified a long unresolved mystery in the metabolism.

How ACC regulates fat metabolism

"ACC is an important regulator of metabolism, it is the pacemaker enzyme of fatty acid production," the researchers write. The enzyme proves to be extraordinarily complex. It consists of half catalysts that can initiate and accelerate chemical processes. The other half takes over control functions and acts as a kind of sensor where, when and how much fatty acid production is needed.

On and off switch included

The enzyme is not always active. Metabolites that indicate a carbohydrate excess bring ACC into the active state. "Dozens of ACC enzymes assemble into one fiber," says Maier. In the fiber, each enzyme assumes a stable form in which the enzymatic regions are aligned with each other. Only in this way can ACC carry out chemical reactions and boost fatty acid production, the expert reports. As long as ACC is not involved in a fiber, the individual enzymes can move freely.

Unique regulation options

"Switching off the ACC can also be done by fiber formation," the scientists say. The ACC would form an inactive fiber in which the enzymatic regions of the ACC are strictly separated. The researchers speak of a diverse regulation that is so far unique. (Vb)