2023-08-18 15:15:17
In a new study, a molecular mechanism underlying the physiological response to fasting and cellular adaptation to nutritional stress has been discovered.
The study was carried out by a team led by CIC bioGUNE, through the “Liver Disease” laboratory directed by Malu Martínez Chantar (CIC bioGUNE, Center for Biomedical Research in the Network of Hepatic and Digestive Diseases (CIBEREHD)), and by the team “ Gene Regulatory Control in Disease” of the Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS) directed by Marta Varela and which includes Alba Capelo-Diz. Carlos Matute from the Networked Biomedical Research Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), as well as Rubén Nogueiras, Ana B. Crujeiras and Marcos F Fondevila, from the Networked Biomedical Research Center for Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition also collaborated in the study. (CIBEROBN), in Spain all these entities.
Specifically, the research has identified the levels of the methyl group donor SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine) as the aforementioned molecular mechanism underlying the physiological response to fasting and cellular adaptation to nutritional stress.
During fasting, a significant decrease in liver SAMe levels was observed, which plays a crucial role as an intracellular sensor. This phenomenon activates the interaction between the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, as well as beta-oxidation, a vital process for lipid metabolism in the liver.
These results provide a new perspective on how the organism adapts and responds to fasting conditions.
CIC bioGUNE group, coordinated by Malu Martínez, CIBEREHD researcher. (Photo: CIC bioGUNE / CIBEREHD)
In addition, the team has also shown that the local synthesis of SAMe in mitochondrial membranes (MAMs) exerts a protective role by reducing liver damage. This discovery highlights the importance of the precise regulation of SAMe levels in liver cells during fasting and provides further insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in the adaptive response to nutritional stress conditions.
These findings could have significant implications in the design of therapeutic approaches for diseases related to hepatic metabolism and nutritional regulation.
The study is titled “Hepatic levels of S-adenosylmethionine regulate the adaptive response to fasting”. And it has been published in the academic journal Cell Metabolism. (Source: CIBER)
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