Glycogen Has Key Regulatory Role in Adipocytes

In a new study, published in Nature, an international team of researchers led by scientists from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, describe how energy expenditure and heat production are regulated in obesity through a previously unknown cellular pathway.

The team reports that the browning of fat cells depends on their ability to both make and then degrade glycogen. The turnover of glycogen sends a signal that it is safe for the cell to uncouple the production of ATP, the molecule that provides the energy that fuels most cellular processes. 

“Uncoupling is a way to generate heat, and in the process, help balance energy. This pathway thus ensures that only the fat cells with enough energy stores to fuel the generation of heat are allowed to do so,” said lead researcher Alan Saltiel.

The new findings, the authors say, suggest that modulating glycogen metabolism in fat cells might provide new approaches for weight loss and overall improvement in metabolic health.