DOR protein deficiency favors the development of obesity

Mechanism leads to a less harmful form of obesity that is associated with the number rather than volume of fat cells

As described in previous work, DOR is a protein that actively participates in the autophagy processes through which cells "recycle" damaged or unrequired components in order to ensure optimum function. "Previous studies suggested that the lack of autophagy-related proteins prevented the generation of adipose tissue. However, in the case of the protein DOR, we have observed an increase in the amount of fat accumulated," explains Montserrat Romero, IRB Barcelona researcher and first author of the article, which describes the mechanism through which DOR regulates the transformation of precursor cells into adipose cells.