Bengaluru: Researchers from India and the US, led by scientists from the Indian Science Institute (IISC) have identified a mechanism where transportation of fatty acids to heart muscle cells is governed by certain proteins.
New insights accommodate the potential to increase therapeutic.
Fatty acids are formed when fat in our diet is damaged during digestion.
While many organs use glucose as their main energy source, the heart gets most of the energy needed – more than 70% – from the oxidation of fatty acids, the word IISC in a statement.
“It’s very important to maintain cardiomyocytes – heart muscle cells that control rhythmic heartbeat.
However, accumulated excess fatty acids in cardiomyocytes trigger a dangerous response, often cause severe heart disease,” the statement rang.
And, in the latest research published in cell reports, the research team provides an important insight on how absorption of fatty acids is set in cardiomyocytes.
The lead team, Ravi Sundarsan, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Biology of cells, IISC, said the transportation of fatty acids to cardiomyocytes was set critically by protein called sirt6.
“This study shows that SIRT6 can be a potential therapy target to treat several metabolic diseases that affect the liver,” IISC said.
Cardiomyocytes have several fatty acid transporter – specific proteins increase absorption of fatty acids from blood into cells – to ensure sufficient supply.
The authors say this is the first study that shows that sIRT6 regulates the gene responsible for the formation of this transporter protein in cardiomyocytes.
“The team observed that cardiomyocytes without protein sIRT6 had a higher level of fatty acid transporter, producing higher absorption and accumulated fatty acids.
They also show that the increase in sIrt6 levels in cardiomyocytes reduce this level of transporter, thereby reducing absorption and accumulation of fatty acids,” The word IISC, added that the researchers did most of the studies in the experimental mouse model.
SIRT6 belongs to a protein family called sirtuins, which is an important biological enzyme that requires special molecules, called cofactors, functioning.
Strangely, the researchers found that SIRT6 no function as an enzyme also did not require a shared factor to regulate the absorption of fatty acids in cardiomyocytes.
Instead, it does it by binding with specific proteins involved in the production of fatty acid transporter.
Sundarsan, who had previously led another study that showed that SIRT6 could regulate protein synthesis without functioning as an enzyme, explained: “Fatty acids are very useful for the heart, if used well.
However, accumulated more fatty acids than the heart can be used in cardiomyocytes causing Lipotoxicity – A condition where lipid accumulation can ultimately have large consequences such as inflammation and cell death.
“In particular, he added, diabetes and obesity are among certain pathological conditions where the level of fatty acid transporter is reported to be higher.
In such conditions, activating sIRT6 and increasing his expression may be a profitable therapy intervention, the advice of the researchers.
The team also includes Narayanaswamy Srinivasan, Professor, Molecular Biophysics Unit, IISC, researcher from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India, and Harvard Medical School, USA.