Researchers at McGill University have identified a molecular 'dial' that controls how brown fat burns energy, a discovery with potential implications for treating bone disease and metabolic disorders.
Brown fat, unlike white fat, burns calories to generate heat. Until now, the alternative 'futile creatine cycle' was poorly understood. The team found that glycerol activates the TNAP enzyme by binding to a specific cavity, dubbed the 'glycerol pocket'.
Analysis of genetic data from 500,000 people linked mutations in this pocket to lower bone density and reduced TNAP activity, confirming its role. This knowledge could lead to a pill to treat hypophosphatasia, a rare bone disease, replacing current enzyme replacement therapy that requires three weekly injections.