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A brand new examine printed in Science Advances reveals {that a} single gene performs an enormous position in how the liver shops power, a course of that is vital for general well being and for managing illnesses like kind 2 diabetes. Led by Penn Nursing’s Kate Townsend Creasy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Diet Science within the Division of Biobehavioral Well being Sciences, the analysis focuses on the PPP1R3B gene. This gene tells the liver find out how to deal with power: retailer it as glycogen (a type of sugar) or triglycerides (a kind of fats).
The analysis group discovered that when the PPP1R3B gene is extra energetic, the liver tends to retailer extra power as glycogen. The liver shops extra power as fats when the gene is much less energetic. This shift between glycogen and fats storage is essential as a result of it impacts how the physique manages blood sugar and fats ranges.
Massive scale genomics research in people have reported that mutations within the PPP1R3B gene are related to a number of metabolic situations, together with kind 2 diabetes and fatty liver illness. Nonetheless, it was unclear how the gene was concerned in these situations.
“Our research shows that PPP1R3B is like a control switch in the liver,” mentioned Creasy. “It directs whether the liver stores energy for quick use in the form of glycogen or for longer-term storage as fat. We also saw changes in how efficiently mice and cells with genetic manipulations of PPP1R3B could use either glucose or fat for energy. This discovery could help us find new ways to help people with metabolic diseases with precision nutrition approaches, based on their genetics.”
Extra info:
Kate Townsend Creasy et al, Ppp1r3b is a metabolic change that shifts hepatic power storage from lipid to glycogen, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ado3440
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Key gene discovered to manage liver’s selection between sugar and fats storage (2025, Could 18)
retrieved 18 Could 2025
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