Adipocyte hyperplasia and RMI1 in the treatment of obesity

Abstract

The escalating prevalence of obesity is one of the most pressing health concerns of the modern era, yet existing medicines to combat this global pandemic are disappointingly limited in terms of safety and effectiveness. The inadequacy of currently available therapies for obesity has made new drug development crucial. In the past several decades, however, major progress has been achieved in understanding adipocyte hyperplasia associated with the pathogenesis of obesity, and consequently new potential targets for the medical treatment of obesity have been identified. We primarily review recent progress in the regulation of adipocyte hyperplasia as a novel emerging nontraditional approach. In this minireview, we focus on recQ-mediated genome instability 1 (RMI1), a recently identified novel molecular target for obesity treatment. RMI1-deficient mice have been found to be resistant to high-fat diet- and genetics-related obesity. Expression of this protein is regulated by E2F transcription factors, and recent studies have suggested that RMI1 plays an important role in the control of energy homeostasis during the development of obesity, with a mode of action based on the regulation of adipocyte hyperplasia.