Hepatic glycogenesis antagonizes lipogenesis by blocking S1P via UDPG. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38359126/)

These scientists wanted to understand how our bodies store sugar in our liver cells and how it can affect diseases like fatty liver disease. They found that a molecule called uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG) plays a key role in deciding whether the sugar is stored as glycogen (a form of energy storage) or as fat in liver cells.

They discovered that UDPG can stop the liver cells from making too much fat by blocking a specific protein called site-1 protease (S1P). This protein is important for making fat in the liver cells. By stopping S1P, UDPG helps the liver cells store sugar as glycogen instead of turning it into fat.

The scientists tested this discovery in mice and human liver cells grown in a lab, and found that giving UDPG could help treat fatty liver disease. This research could lead to new ways to help people with liver problems related to how their bodies process sugar and fat.

Chen J., Zhou Y., Liu Z., Lu Y., Jiang Y., Cao K., Zhou N., Wang D., Zhang C., Zhou N., Shi K., Zhang L., Zhou L., Wang Z., Zhang H., Tang K., Ma J., Lv J., Huang B. Hepatic glycogenesis antagonizes lipogenesis by blocking S1P via UDPG. Science. 2024 Feb 16;383(6684):eadi3332. doi: 10.1126/science.adi3332. Epub 2024 Feb 16.