Grant: Operating Grant

Obesity is strongly associated with excessive fat storage in multiple tissues including the liver, where this fat deposition leads to abnormal liver functions and risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Increased liver fat deposition stimulates the export of particles that carry bad cholesterol (LDL). We have shown that a protein called Es-x plays an important role in regulating the cholesterol export from the intestine and from the liver into blood. We have developed mice that are deficient in this protein and have shown that these animals have more harmful blood lipid levels and are less protected from fat accumulation in the liver and adipose tissue and have impaired insulin action. Therefore, increasing the function of this protein would seem beneficial in treatment of obesity-related metabolic complications. In the proposed research we plan to investigate the mechanisms by which Es-x regulates fat absorption, and fat deposition, and research novel animal models in effort to gain more information about this protein. This new information will be important not only in understanding of the protective role of this protein in fat metabolism but also in the development of therapeutics for the treatment obesity.