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Metabolic disease

Muscular fat burning

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 11, pages 314–315 (2010)Cite this article

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Relatives of VEGFB, placental growth factor (PLGF) and VEGFA, are well-known regulators of blood vessel physiology. PLGF and VEGFB signal to endothelial cells through the same receptors, but VEGFB is poorly angiogenic, leaving its function unknown. By clustering microarray data, the authors found that Vegfb is co-expressed with genes encoding mitochondrial proteins. The expression level of Vegfb in response to nutritional change mirrored that of mitochondrial markers, pointing to a role for VEGFB in energy metabolism. This makes sense because VEGFB is highly expressed in metabolically active tissues enriched in mitochondria: cardiac and skeletal muscle and brown adipose tissue. Fatty acids are the main source of energy for these tissues, suggesting that VEGFB might be involved in their uptake.

VEGFB is...a new regulator of fatty acid uptake

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References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Hagberg, C. E. et al. Vascular endothelial growth factor B controls endothelial fatty acid uptake. Nature 14 Mar 2010 (doi:10.1038/nature08945)

FURTHER READING

  1. Guilherme, A. et al. Adipocyte dysfunctions linking obesity to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Nature Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 9, 367–377 (2008)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Online Editor, Lipidomics Gateway,

    Emma Leah

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  1. Emma Leah
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Leah, E. Muscular fat burning. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 11, 314–315 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm2887

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