What is it about?
Biological cells are encased by a membrane , with almost all cells studied to date shown to possess an electrical voltage across this membrane. Albeit very small, being less than 0.1 V, this voltage is critical to many biolgical processes and acts a a batttery to power the transport of material in and out of the cell. Moreover, changes in this voltage underlie key physiological phenomenon such as nerve conduction and heart contraction. Here we demonstrate that whie fat also possess such a voltage, although static and does not change, it may be involved in key processes that underly the storage and release of fat in the body.
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Why is it important?
This is the first thorough examination of the mechansims that allow the white fat cell to behave as a battery. And as such dysfunction of this mechanism, possibly by obesogens, may lead to impaired fat storage and obesity in man.
Perspectives
The undertaking of this research was a technical major tour de force. The synthesis of our data with older published data allowed us to for the first time to formulate a robust model of the mechanism of how fat cells achieve the battery voltage that they possess. Furthermore, this work reveal fat cells to have much more interesting, and indeed more sophisticated membrane function, than one might conclude from their name.
Paul Smith
University of Nottingham
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This page is a summary of: Etiology of the membrane potential of rat white fat adipocytes, AJP Endocrinology and Metabolism, May 2014, American Physiological Society,
DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00446.2013.
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