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Antonio Zorzano and his team at the Complex Metabolic Diseases and Mitochondria Lab have participated in this study (Photo: IRB Barcelona).
 06.05.2019

Researchers at IRB Barcelona identify a protein that protects against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

The protein Mitofusin 2 can act as a protector regarding non-alcoholic fatty liver disease –a pathology affecting about 25 % of the world population-, according to a new study published in Cell and led by the researcher Antonio Zorzano at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) in the Barcelona Science Park.

 

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease describes several liver dysfunctions of varying severity, characterised by the accumulation of fat in hepatic cells and not caused by high alcohol consumption. One of the most serious forms of fatty acid is non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), in which the accumulation of fat is accompanied by inflammation.

In this study, published in the journal Cell and led by Dr  Antonio Zorzano at IRB Barcelona, the researchers have observed a decrease in the levels of Mitofusin 2 in patients with NASH, even in early stages of the disease.

“Mitofusin 2 emerges as a possible therapeutic target to tackle fatty liver, a disease for which no treatments are available. Early diagnosis of this disease is difficult and physicians are currently only recommending weight loss to alleviate the condition,” explains Antonio Zorzano, senior professor at the University of Barcelona and researcher of the CIBERDEM Programme.

“We are now studying different approaches that will allow us to enhance the levels of Mitofusin 2, without producing side effects, and that could be relevant in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,” says María Isabel Hernández-Alvarez, postdoctoral fellow at IRB Barcelona and first author of the study.

► Reference article:  Hernández-Alvarez MI, Sebastián D, Vives S, Ivanova S, Bartoccioni P, Kakimoto P, Plana N, Veiga SR, Hernández V, Vasconcelos N, Peddinti G, Adrover A, Jové M, Pamplona R, Gordaliza-Alaguero I, Calvo E, Cabré N, Castro R, Boutant M, Sala D, Hyotylainen T, Orešič M, Fort J, Errasti-Murugarren E, Rodrígues CMP, Orozco M, Joven J, Cantó C, Palacin M, Fernández-Veledo S, Vendrell J, Zorzano A. “Deficient Endoplasmic Reticulum-Mitochondrial Phosphatidylserine Transfer Causes Liver Disease“, Cell (2019). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.04.010

► More information: IRB Barcelona website [+]