Researchers from the Hotamışlıgil Lab and the Sabri Ülker Center at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Sheba Medical Center in Israel have shown that prorionate, a short-chain fatty acid and common food additive in baked goods and artificial flavoring, induces hyperglycemia, weight gain, and insulin resistance in mice. Furthermore, human studies show how propionate intake can be associated with elevated risk of obesity and insulin resistance. The study was published online on April 24, 2019 in Science Translational Medicine.
Researchers from the Hotamışlıgil Lab and the Sabri Ülker Center at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Sheba Medical Center in Israel have shown that prorionate, a short-chain fatty acid and common food additive in baked goods and artificial flavoring, induces hyperglycemia, weight gain, and insulin resistance in mice. Furthermore, human studies show how propionate intake can be associated with elevated risk of obesity and insulin resistance. The study was published online on April 24, 2019 in Science Translational Medicine.
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March 9, 2022
Obesity alters molecular architecture of liver cells; repairing structure reverses metabolic disease
Cells use their molecular architecture to regulate their metabolic functions, and repairing diseased cells’ architecture to a healthier state can also repair metabolism, according to a study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers. The study used multiple computational platforms and high-resolution imaging with enhanced focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy, to generate three-dimensional reconstructions of specialized structures, called organelles, inside cells and made a comparative analysis of organelle architecture and organization of liver cells from lean and obese samples. Through these analyses, the team determined that obesity leads to dramatic alterations in sub-cellular molecular architecture, particularly in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), an organelle involved in the creation and shaping of proteins and lipids. The study was published online on March 9, 2022, in Nature.
December 8, 2021
A newly discovered hormone named fabkin helps regulate metabolism and may play an important role in the development of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, according to research led by the Sabri Ülker Center for Metabolic Research at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study showed blood levels of fabkin were abnormally high in mice and human patients with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that blocking the activity of fabkin prevented the development of both forms of diabetes in the animals. The study was published December 8, 2021, in Nature.
April 24, 2019
Researchers from the Hotamışlıgil Lab and the Sabri Ülker Center at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Sheba Medical Center in Israel have shown that prorionate, a short-chain fatty acid and common food additive in baked goods and artificial flavoring, induces hyperglycemia, weight gain, and insulin resistance in mice. Furthermore, human studies show how propionate intake can be associated with elevated risk of obesity and insulin resistance. The study was published online on April 24, 2019 in Science Translational Medicine.
2018 EASD–Novo Nordisk Foundation Diabetes Prize for Excellence
Congratulations to Gökhan Hotamışlıgil for receiving this year's 2018 EASD–Novo Nordisk Foundation Diabetes Prize for Excellence!
Lab news
April 14, 2019
Lab members attend Keystone Symposium in Vancouver, BC
Many current and previous lab members attended the Keystone Symposia for Immunometabolism, Metaflammation, and Metabolic Diseases held in Vancouver, BC this week. Dr. Hotamışlıgil was one of the three conference organizers. Hotamışlıgil Lab post-doctoral fellows and alumni had the chance to present exciting research findings during the talks and poster sessions in what proved to be a very insightful and successful Keystone meeting!
February 2018
Brown fat waste disposal facilities keeps you warm, healthy, and metabolically mighty
Researchers from the Hotamışlıgil Lab and the Sabri Ülker Center at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have observed that one key adaptive response in the brown adipose tissue is through protein degradation, or simply put; eliminate cellular waste. The scientists also identified that this critical response system is operated by a molecular switch known as NRF1 that responds to cold or other activating signals to turn on the disposal facilities of the cell. The study was published online February 5, 2018 in Nature Medicine and will be featured in the March 2018 issue.
May 2018
Congratulations Dr. Lauren Robertson and Dr. Mustafa Yilmaz!
Congratulations to our newest PhD graduates -- Dr. Lauren Robertson and Dr. Mustafa Yilmaz! We wish you all the best in your next chapters and cannot wait to see what the future holds!
November 2017
Molecular guardian defends cells, organs against excess cholesterol
A team of researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has illuminated a critical player in cholesterol metabolism that acts as a molecular guardian in cells to help maintain cholesterol levels within a safe, narrow range. Known as Nrf1, it both senses and responds to excess cholesterol, and could represent a potential new therapeutic target in a multitude of diseases where cholesterol metabolism is disrupted.
The study was published online Nov. 16, 2017 in Cell.