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ADIPOSE TISSUE BIOLOGY

A new branch connecting thermogenesis and diabetes

Nature Metabolism volume 1, pages 845–846 (2019)Cite this article

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Systemic accumulation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) is a major metabolic hallmark and contributor to insulin resistance associated with obesity. A recent report identifies SLC25A44 as the BCAA transporter in mitochondrial membranes and shows that BCAA catabolism in brown adipose tissue significantly affects thermogenic activity, systemic BCAA clearance, energy expenditure and overall metabolic health.

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Fig. 1: Illustration of BCAA transportation across the mitochondrial membrane and intra-mitochondrial catabolism in BAT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Anesthesiology, Physiology and Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Haipeng Sun & Yibin Wang

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  1. Haipeng Sun
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  2. Yibin Wang
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Correspondence to Yibin Wang.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Sun, H., Wang, Y. A new branch connecting thermogenesis and diabetes. Nat Metab 1, 845–846 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-019-0112-1

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