Latest news with #DepartmentofBiochemistryandMolecularPharmacology
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Newfound mechanism rewires cellular energy processing for drastic weight loss: Study
Washington: Mice genetically engineered to lack the ability to make the amino acid cysteine , and fed a cysteine-free diet , lost 30 per cent of their body weight in just one week, a new study shows. Published online May 21 in Nature, the work found that cysteine depletion disrupts the normal metabolic pathways mammalian cells use to convert food into energy, forcing the animals to rapidly burn fat stores in a futile attempt to meet energy demands. Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine , the study reveals key details about how cells process fuels like carbohydrates and fats ( metabolism ), and how cysteine depletion affects tissues. Experiments showed that lowering cysteine levels caused a drop in levels of the small molecule called coenzyme A (CoA), which rendered inefficient mechanisms that convert carbohydrates and fats into energy. Despite CoA being involved in more than 100 intermediate metabolic reactions and serving as a partner (cofactor) for 4% of all enzymes in the body, scientists had previously been unable to study its function directly. This is because mice with defective CoA synthesis typically do not survive beyond three weeks of age. The current findings detail, for the first time, how CoA shapes metabolism in adult mice. "Our surprising findings reveal that low cysteine levels triggered rapid fat loss in our study mice by activating a network of interconnected biological pathways," said co-senior study author Evgeny Nudler, PhD, the Julie Wilson Anderson Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "While driving weight loss in the clinic remains a key future mission, we are most excited for the moment about the profound, fundamental aspects of metabolism revealed in this study," added Dr. Nudler. The current finding does not immediately suggest a new approach to weight loss, the authors caution, as cysteine is found in nearly all foods. Achieving a truly cysteine-free diet would require patients to consume a specially formulated solution that would be challenging for most. Moreover, because cysteine is involved in numerous cellular pathways, eliminating it -- such as through a drug that inhibits cysteine production -- could make organs more vulnerable to everyday toxins, including medications. That said, the study authors say it is worth considering that fruits, vegetables, and legumes contain much lower levels of cysteine and its precursor, the sulfur-containing amino acid methionine, than red meat. (ANI)
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Business Standard
09-06-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
New mechanism rewires cell energy processing for weight loss, shows study
Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the study reveals key details about how cells process fuels like carbohydrates and fats, and how cysteine depletion affects tissues ANI Mice genetically engineered to lack the ability to make the amino acid cysteine, and fed a cysteine-free diet, lost 30 per cent of their body weight in just one week, a new study shows. Published online May 21 in Nature, the work found that cysteine depletion disrupts the normal metabolic pathways mammalian cells use to convert food into energy, forcing the animals to rapidly burn fat stores in a futile attempt to meet energy demands. Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the study reveals key details about how cells process fuels like carbohydrates and fats (metabolism), and how cysteine depletion affects tissues. Experiments showed that lowering cysteine levels caused a drop in levels of the small molecule called coenzyme A (CoA), which rendered inefficient mechanisms that convert carbohydrates and fats into energy. Despite CoA being involved in more than 100 intermediate metabolic reactions and serving as a partner (cofactor) for 4% of all enzymes in the body, scientists had previously been unable to study its function directly. This is because mice with defective CoA synthesis typically do not survive beyond three weeks of age. The current findings detail, for the first time, how CoA shapes metabolism in adult mice. "Our surprising findings reveal that low cysteine levels triggered rapid fat loss in our study mice by activating a network of interconnected biological pathways," said co-senior study author Evgeny Nudler, PhD, the Julie Wilson Anderson Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "While driving weight loss in the clinic remains a key future mission, we are most excited for the moment about the profound, fundamental aspects of metabolism revealed in this study," added Dr. Nudler. The current finding does not immediately suggest a new approach to weight loss, the authors caution, as cysteine is found in nearly all foods. Achieving a truly cysteine-free diet would require patients to consume a specially formulated solution that would be challenging for most. Moreover, because cysteine is involved in numerous cellular pathways, eliminating it -- such as through a drug that inhibits cysteine production -- could make organs more vulnerable to everyday toxins, including medications. That said, the study authors say it is worth considering that fruits, vegetables, and legumes contain much lower levels of cysteine and its precursor, the sulfur-containing amino acid methionine, than red meat.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists Discovered The 'Missing' Amino Acid That Triggered 30% Weight Loss in Just One Week
According to the World Health Organization, adult obesity has more than doubled since the 1990s, while adolescent obesity has quadrupled. Despite various diet strategies like low-carb and low-fat plans, GLP-1 medications, and different exercise routines aimed at reducing obesity, the numbers continue to rise with no clear end in sight. However, a new study suggests there may be a way to lose a meaningful amount of weight in as little as one week. The study, published in Nature, found that mice that were genetically modified to stop producing a specific amino acid (cysteine) while being fed a cysteine-free diet, lost 30 percent of their body weight in just one week. Cysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid important for protein synthesis and various metabolic processes within the body. Researchers believe that when cysteine isn't present, our body will begin to break down fat stores. 'Our surprising findings reveal that low cysteine levels triggered rapid fat loss in our study mice by activating a network of interconnected biological pathways,' co-senior study author Evgeny A. Nudler, PhD, professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said in a statement. According to the authors, the study is the first to show that removing cysteine causes more weight loss than removing any other essential amino acid. Because cysteine is vital for oxidative phosphorylation, without it, the body can't use sugar molecules efficiently and burns fat was noted that cysteine depletion can also trigger stress responses that increase hormones that suppress appetite and break down fat-making enzymes. This combination prevents fat storage and leads to weight loss. 'While driving weight loss in the clinic remains a key future mission, we are most excited for the moment about the profound, fundamental aspects of metabolism revealed in this study,' added Dr. Nudler. Researchers note, though, that this is not a foolproof way to induce weight loss in humans, especially given that cysteine is found in a majority of foods. To achieve a diet completely free of cysteine, patients would need to consume a specially formulated diet. They also added that because cysteine is involved in numerous cellular pathways, removing it could increase the concentration of everyday toxins. 'Given that achieving maximum cysteine deprivation weight loss in the mice was dependent on both diet and deletion of the gene, moving forward we can now restore cysteine production genetically in specific cells or tissues and determine the role of each in the dramatic weight loss we observed,' said co-senior author Dan R. Littman, MD, PhD. 'We hope in the future to hijack parts of this process to induce a similar weight loss in humans but without completely removing cysteine.' Scientists Discovered The 'Missing' Amino Acid That Triggered 30% Weight Loss in Just One Week first appeared on Men's Journal on May 27, 2025
