Overview

• UNSW researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that CHP1 controls a pivotal step in cellular fat handling.
• CHP1 stabilizes and activates microsomal GPAT3 and GPAT4, enzymes that initiate triacylglycerol production.
• The protein directs these enzymes to the surface of lipid droplets, enabling efficient fat synthesis and droplet growth.
• Removing CHP1 in cellular models produced markedly smaller lipid droplets, underscoring its central role in storage regulation.
• The authors highlight potential relevance to obesity and type 2 diabetes research, noting the findings are preclinical and require validation in animal studies.