Investigating the role of serinogenesis in regulating lipid metabolism
Our ability to properly synthesize, store, and utilize body fat worsens with aging. Consequently, older individuals are predisposed to diseases associated with impaired fat metabolism, including obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Interventions that decrease body fat accumulation will improve the overall healthspan. Lowering the dietary intake of sulfur amino acids methionine and cysteine (SAAR) improves many aspects of lipid metabolism in laboratory models. However, formulating the SAAR diet for long-term human consumption is difficult and has only modest effects. Dr. Nichemametla's lab focuses on discovering the SAAR-associated molecular mechanisms and inducing them with drugs. Recent studies from his lab indicate serinogenesis, serine synthesis from non-glucose substrates, as a potential mechanism by which the SAAR diet induces lean phenotype in rodents. In the current proposal, his group will confirm the role of serinogenesis in lipid metabolism and evaluate if it is drug-targetable.
