Cell biology: Flushing out fats
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 - 09:50
in Biology & Nature
The Wip1 protein is important for survival, but mutations that inactivate it carry some surprising features. "A lack of Wip1 results in an excessive immune reaction to infectious organisms, in some cases killing the host," explains Dmitry Bulavin of the A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore. He also notes, however, that mice lacking Wip1 are considerably less prone to certain cancers. Now, research from Bulavin and his co-workers has revealed that Wip1-deficient animals also exhibit improved fat metabolism and cardiovascular health.