IF the festive season has left you with unwanted love handles, take heart. A
key protein that tells fat cells to develop has just been pinned down, opening
the way for new anti-obesity drugs.
Fat cells are constantly dying, and researchers already know that a gene
called PPARg is needed for replacement fat cells to develop. But the gene is
active in a number of tissues, and produces two different proteins. Now Heidi
Camp and her team at Pfizer have found that a form of the protein called
PPAR&ggr;
is the key switch (Genes and Development, vol 16, p 27). This form is
only found in fat cells. The hope is now that a drug can be found to block the
protein, and so combat obesity.