Researchers identified a key protein that, when absent, helps the body burn fat and prevents insulin resistance and obesity. The discovery could aid development of drugs that not only prevent obesity, but also spur weight loss in people who are already overweight, said Dr. Stephen Hsu, one of the study's corresponding authors and a principal investigator with the UF Sid Martin Biotechnology Development Institute.

Developing drugs that target the protein, called TRIP-Br2, and mimic its absence may allow for the prevention of obesity without relying solely on lifestyle modifications, Hsu said.
First identified by Hsu, TRIP-Br2 helps regulate how fat is stored in and released from cells. To understand its role, the researchers compared mice that lacked the gene responsible for production of the protein, with normal mice that had the gene.

They quickly discovered that mice missing the TRIP-Br2 gene did not gain weight no matter what they ate -- even when placed on a high-fat diet -- and were otherwise normal and healthy. On the other hand, the mice that still made TRIP-Br2 gained weight and developed associated problems such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol when placed on a high-fat diet.

"TRIP-Br2 is important for the accumulation of fat," said Dr. Rohit N. Kulkarni, also a senior author of the paper and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Joslin Diabetes Center. "When an animal lacks TRIP-Br2, it can't accumulate fat." Because the studies were done mostly in mice, additional studies are still needed to see if the findings translate to humans.