News & Research

    Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts

Reactive oxygen species in adipocyte respiration and apoptosis

General Research Subject: Type 2 Diabetes

Focus: Adipocytes

Type of Grant: Mentor Based Postdoctoral Fellowship

Project Start Date: July 1, 2008

Project End Date: June 30, 2012

Research Description

It has been demonstrated that weight loss through diet and exercise markedly reduces the development of type 2 diabetes. One strategy for controlling diabetes could be to reduce body fat by increasing fat burning or by decreasing the number of fat cells. Fat cells are the major sites where fat is stored in the body, however little information is available on exactly how fat cells regulate their own fat burning. It is important to understand this process, since even small shifts towards burning fat instead of storing fat may produce profound alterations in the whole fat mass over time.

This study will focus on the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in regulating fat cell respiration and death. ROS are important intracellular signals that are involved in many aspects of cell metabolism and function, including ROS-induced cell death. Evidence also suggests that ROS might inhibit respiration in fat cells. In this study, ROS will be removed from fat cells using standard molecular biology techniques, and the impact on fat cell respiration and metabolism will be investigated. This study will also explore the theory that fat cells have high levels of ROS, but are protected from ROS-induced cell death.

The outcomes of this research could expand the understanding of cell respiration and also provide new strategies on reducing body fat by increasing fat burning or decreasing fat cell number. This information represents a basis for the identification of novel targets for the prevention of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Reseacher Profile

Mentor: Barbara E. Corkey, PhD   Postdoctoral Fellow: Yaguang Si, PhD

What area of diabetes research does your project cover? What role will this particular project play in preventing, treating and/or curing diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is closed associated with obesity, and it has been demonstrated that weight loss through diet and exercise markedly reduces the development of type 2 diabetes. One strategy for controlling diabetes is to reduce body fat by increasing fat burning or by decreasing the number of fat cells. Fat cells are the major sites where fat is stored in the body, however little information is available on exactly how fat cells regulate their own fat burning. It is important to understand this process, since even small shifts towards burning fat instead of storing fat may produce profound alterations in the whole fat mass over time.

This study will focus on the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in regulating fat cell respiration and death. ROS are important intracellular signals that are involved in many aspects of cell metabolism and function, including ROS-induced cell death. Evidence also suggests that ROS might inhibit respiration in fat cells. In this study, ROS will be removed from fat cells using standard molecular biology techniques, and the impact on fat cell respiration and metabolism will be investigated. This study will also explore the theory that fat cells have high levels of ROS, but are protected from ROS-induced cell death.

If a person with diabetes were to ask you how your project will help them in the future, how would you respond?

The outcomes of this research could expand the understanding of cell respiration and also provide new strategies on reducing body fat by increasing fat burning or decreasing fat cell number. This information represents a basis for the identification of novel targets for the prevention of obesity and type 2 diabetes at the level of fat cells.

Why is it important for you, personally, to become involved in diabetes research? What role will this award play in your research efforts?

My personal mission is to work toward a cure for diabetes and obesity. Decreasing the amount of body fat or increasing the amount of fat burning will help to achieve that goal and may be an important step in preventing the development of diabetes. This award will support the efforts of an outstanding new investigator in diabetes research who will continue the mission to cure or prevent diabetes.

In what direction do you see the future of diabetes research going?

Modern molecular and informatic tools have led to success in identifying new proteins, pathways and targets involved with normal metabolic function and the development of diabetes. Although this has generated much excitement, it is essential now to redevelop our skills in metabolism, whole body physiology and translation from animal to human in order to use new information to benefit people.