Scientists reveal new mechanism to prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mammals

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), commonly known as fatty liver disease, is an epidemic that often occurs in obese people

The liver is an important organ that coordinates the body's overall glucose and fat metabolism

To answer this question, Chan's team examined gene expression in the livers of high-fat diet-induced obese mice and found that a protein -- SH3 domain-binding kinase (SBK1) -- was elevated only in the livers of obese mice

Chan's team discovered for the first time that fatty acid accumulation induces SBK1 expression in mouse liver

Chan's team found that the SBK1 protein is a protective factor against excessive lipid accumulation

In addition to animal studies, Chan's team used in vitro cell models to answer the question of how the SBK1 gene controls lipid metabolism in the liver

To extend their findings to therapeutics, Chan's team further tested whether manipulating SBK1 protein activity in the liver could rescue the damaging effects of obesity

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