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Adipose tissue varies depending on localization. Vijay et al. perform single-cell RNA sequencing in multiple adipose tissue depots from obese individuals and identify distinct subpopulations of endothelial cells, immune cells and pre-adipocytes.
Under a high-fat diet, the amyloid precursor protein, which is involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, accumulates at the protein-entry gate of mitochondria in white adipose tissue, thus leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, adipocyte hypertrophy and obesity.
Amyloid precursor protein contributes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. An et al. show that its increase in white adipose tissue under a high-fat diet promotes obesity and impairs mitochondrial function by blocking the protein import machinery.
Yu et al. report a bioluminescence- and paper-based assay for the rapid quantification of NAD+ levels in biological samples, such as blood and tissues.
Pancreatic islets are heterogeneous clusters of endocrine cells responsible for glucose homeostasis. Here Noguchi and Huising review the main stimuli for each islet-cell type and their response, guided by insights from islet-cell transcriptomes.
GDF15 is an anorectic hormone that relays systemic stress to the brain. In the current issue of Nature Metabolism, Day et al. elegantly demonstrate that the frontline anti-diabetes drug, metformin, lowers body weight by increasing circulating levels of GDF15.
Bevers and Litovchenko et al. sequence mitochondrial genomes from 169 different inbred Drosophila melanogaster strains to reveal mitochondrial population structure as well as links between mitochondrial haplotypes and metabolic variation in flies.
Systemic homeostasis is finely orchestrated by the action of several organs and molecules. Here Priest et al. provide a comprehensive review that highlights the inter-organ communication complexity in metabolic regulation.
Persistent mitochondrial DNA stress is shown to upregulate nuclear DNA damage and repair responses via activation of the cGAS–STING pathway and a subset of interferon-stimulated genes.
The anti-diabetic drug metformin is shown to elevate plasma levels of the hormone GDF15. This increase in GDF15 is required for reductions in appetite and body mass, which are known to contribute to the beneficial metabolic effects of the drug.
Di Gioia and colleagues report on how the oxidized phospholipid oxPAPC alters metabolism in macrophages via glutamine and oxaloacetate, thus boosting production of the cytokine IL-1β and promoting atherosclerosis.
A study in Nature Metabolism reveals a hitherto-unknown enzymatic and physiological role of ABHD5, which acts as a protease that couples extracellular cues to the epigenome of cardiomyocytes by cleaving histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4).
A new study by Menegaz et al. in this issue of Nature Metabolism addresses fundamental questions on the acute regulation and role of GABA secretion in pancreatic islets.
Pulsatile GABA secretion from human beta cells via the volume regulatory anion channel (VRAC) and subsequent uptake by the GABA-permissive taurine transporter (TauT) is shown to regulate total insulin secretion and pulsatility.
Known as a regulator of lipolysis, ABHD5 is found to also act as a serine protease that cleaves HDAC4 in response to catecholaminergic stimulation, thus resulting in the formation of a polypeptide that protects against metabolic-stress-induced heart failure.
Liu et al. describe a molecular network wherein SIRT7 couples light-driven systemic body temperature cues to hepatic oscillators via HSP70 to ensure circadian phase coherence and glucose homeostasis in the liver.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as the most prevalent liver disease worldwide, mainly because of the massive parallel global increase in obesity. Extensive public-health and political efforts will be needed in the near future to counteract this disturbing development.
Al Nabhani et al. show how excessive caloric intake during the postnatal period increases the risk of developing intestinal bowel disease during adulthood, owing to increased intestinal permeability, cytokines and hydrogen sulfide production by the microbiota.