肥胖的基础研究

Basic research in obesity

肥胖是指机体脂肪总含量过多和(或)局部含量增多及分布异常,是一种由遗传和环境等因素共同引起,并对健康造成一定影响的慢性代谢性疾病。肥胖正在成为包括中国在内的全球性的流行病,给社会带来巨大的经济负担。更为严重的是,肥胖患者发生慢性炎症、2型糖尿病、脂肪肝、心血管疾病、肿瘤等疾病的风险显著增高。肥胖发生的最根本原因是脂肪稳态失衡,从而引起脂肪细胞中脂肪的过量积累。从细胞生物学的角度,肥胖是由于脂肪细胞数量的增加以及脂肪细胞体积的变大双重作用引起的。CIDE(cell death-inducing DFF45-like effector)通过介导一种新型的脂滴融合机制调节脂肪细胞和肝脏细胞中的脂肪储存,在肥胖发生中起重要作用。

Obesity is characterized by an excess accumulation of fat in whole and/or part of the body due to the energy intake exceeding energy expenditure. Obesity has been connected to the development of fatty liver, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Genetic and environmental factors including diet and physical exercise have contributed to the development of obesity. Obesity has emerged as one of the most serious world-wild epidemics, which brought enormous economic burden. The essential mechanism of obesity development is the disruption of adipose homeostasis by nutrients and environmental factors. From cell biology point of view, obesity is the result of increased adipocyte number and volume. We have shown that CIDE proteins have emerged as important regulators in the development of obesity and fatty liver disease by regulating lipid droplet fusion and growth in adipocyte and hepatocyte.