Departments of Clinical Biochemistry and Medicine,
University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge,
UK. ajv22@cam.ac.uk
Mitochondrial uncoupling proteins (UCPs) have long been suspected
to have a role in obesity. A study1 of mice ablated of Ucp2
reveals an unexpected role for the protein in macrophage-mediated immunity.
It also supports the notion that the UCP proteins, which uncouple respiration
from energy production, might also control the production of reactive oxygen
species (ROS).
