A new study suggests that a hormone known to prevent weight gain and normalize metabolism can also help maintain healthy muscles in mice. The findings.
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A new study suggests that a hormone known to prevent weight gain and normalize metabolism can also help maintain healthy muscles in mice. The findings present new possibilities for treating muscle-wasting conditions associated with age, obesity or cancer, according to scientists from the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.
The research, published this month in the
American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, addresses the related problems of age and obesity-induced muscle loss, conditions which can lead to increased risk of falls, diabetes and other negative health impacts. It also adds to a growing number of findings describing beneficial effects of MOTS-c, a mitochondrial-derived peptide that is known to mimic the effects of exercise.
WesternU professor among top neuroscientists in the world
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WesternU Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences Professor Michel Baudry, PhD, was recently inducted as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This prestigious honor recognizes 40 years of achievement in neuroscience and comes at a momentous time in the development of his life’s work.
WesternU Professor Michel Baudry, PhD, was inducted as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. (Jeff Malet, WesternU)
“I love my research. I love the process. I love the challenges and the ‘Eureka moments,’ when you see something no one has ever seen before. -WesternU Professor Michel Baudry
Study: Brain hormones could improve metabolism and fight obesity
A mitochondrial hormone expressed by cells deep in the brain appears to play a role in improving metabolism and fighting off obesity, according to a new study in mice.
A collaboration between the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and researchers in South Korea has shown how moderate exercise prompts cells in the hypothalamus, the small region within the brain that controls metabolism, to release a hormone called MOTS-c.
MOTS-c is a small protein that is encoded in cells smaller mitochondrial genome, rather than the larger collection of genes in the nucleus, said Changhan David Lee, assistant professor of gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School and co-senior author of the new study.
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Hormones in brain may explain how exercise improves metabolism
A collaboration between the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology and researchers in South Korea has shown how moderate exercise prompts cells in the hypothalamus, the small region within the brain that controls metabolism, to release a hormone called MOTS-c. MOTS-c is a small protein that is encoded in cells’ smaller mitochondrial genome, rather than the larger collection of genes in the nucleus, said Changhan David Lee, assistant professor of gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School and co-senior author of the new study.
Mitochondria, while more commonly known as the energy-producing parts of cells, have in recent years been found to play much bigger roles in health and aging by providing instructions for cellular processes. Subsequent studies by Lee and his colleagues have shown how mitochondrial-encoded MOTS-c interacts with the nuclear genome and regulates cellular metabolism and stress responses.