Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have found a way to manipulate enzymes to burn fat faster by turning on a molecular switch.
Being able to control this chemical on/off button could have massive implications for curing diseases related to obesity including diabetes, cardio vascular disease, stroke and even skin problems like acne.
The results suggest that the switch may be a common characteristic of many more enzymes.
Enzymes are miniscule worker-molecules that control a vast variety of functions in cells.
"If many enzymes turn out to be switched on in the same way as the ones we've studied, this opens a door to understanding- and maybe curing, a wide range of diseases," lead researcher, Dimitrios Stamou said.
The Bio Nano- team devised a way to study individual enzyme molecules.
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To perform their studies the researchers chose a fat degrading lipase enzyme model system in collaboration with Danish industrial enzyme producer Novozymes.
They used fat that would emit light each time the enzyme took a bite. This way they could monitor each and every catalytic cycle or single movement of work.
To ensure realism the enzymes were placed on an artificial cell wall. An "in vivo like membrane system".
"Now that we have understood how to switch enzymes on and off we could use this knowledge in the future both for curing diseases but also to design novel enzymes for industrial applications," Stamou said in a statement.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.