title: New players on the metabolic stage: How do you like Them Acots?
abstract: Members of the acyl-CoA thioesterase (Acot) gene family catalyze the hydrolysis of fatty acyl-CoA thioesters. Thioesterase superfamily member (Them) 1 (synonym: Acot11) is enriched in brown adipose tissue and is markedly upregulated when mice are exposed to cold ambient temperatures. In a recent study, we demonstrated thatThem1-/-mice exhibit increased energy expenditure and are resistant to diet-induced obesity and its metabolic consequences. This mini-review places these findings in the context of an emerging understanding ofThem/Acotgenes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine; Division of Gastroenterology; Brigham and Women's Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA USA.
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Cohen
keywords: brown adipose tissue; enzyme; fatty acyl-CoA; lipid binding protein; liver