Scientists at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have identified a protein that acts as a master regulator of fat tissue health. When this protein does not function properly, the body develops fat cells that are abnormally large, leading to obesity and a host of other health problems.
The protein, which is called nuclear myosin 1c, or NM1, helps control how genes are turned on and off inside the nucleus, and plays a critical role in maintaining healthy fat tissue. The research found that when NM1 is impaired or absent, fat cells fail to mature properly. Instead of developing normally, they grow much larger than they should and accumulate far more lipids inside them.
These oversized fat cells then form deposits throughout the body. Beyond the usual areas like the abdomen and shoulders, fat also builds up around vital organs such as the liver, which researchers are now investigating for links to serious disease.
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The fat accumulation is accompanied by high levels of inflammation and disrupted mitochondrial function, meaning the body’s cells cannot produce energy efficiently. This leads to changes in insulin resistance, pushing the body toward a pre-diabetic state.
It’s not what you eat
One of the most striking findings is that this form of obesity has nothing to do with diet. Lead researcher Professor Piergiorgio Percipalle explained: “The obesity that we discovered in mice is independent of food intake.”
This means two people could eat exactly the same diet, and one might still gain weight simply due to their genetic makeup. The issue is fundamentally genetic, and the research shows that people may carry a tendency toward obesity from an early age, with weight gain accelerating after a certain point in life. They also discovered that it affects men and women equally.
The findings put this research on a very different path from existing weight-loss medications. Percipalle noted that the commonly taken weight-loss drugs work by suppressing appetite, but as soon as people stop taking them, the weight comes back—making them a temporary fix rather than a real solution.
His team is now pursuing what they call “fat tissue reprogramming drugs”- compounds that could essentially switch fat tissue from an unhealthy state back to a healthy one, addressing the root genetic cause rather than masking the symptoms.
Clinical applications
Clinical applications are still a few years away, pending drug screening and investment. But Percipalle is clear about the goal: “If we can fix this problem, then there is no need to get into a vicious circle where you keep on using drugs in a chronic way.”
Perhaps the most powerful implication of this research is social. For too long, obesity has been viewed as a personal failure—a matter of willpower and lifestyle choices. This study challenges that narrative directly, showing there is a biological and genetic dimension that many people simply cannot control.
As Percipalle put it, the goal is not just scientific discovery but to serve the community, and ultimately, to help people understand that the struggle with weight is not always a choice.
Source: Khaleej Times