Amino acids signaling controls whole-body glucose homeostasis, study shows
Amino acids are a major nutrient type for humans and are used as building blocks and a source of energy for cells. Amino acids have also recently been recognized as chemical signals that control cell growth and metabolism. Researchers from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey previously identified a small protein called Rab1A that regulates amino acid signaling. In a recent study, researchers explored the physiological role of Rab1A in mammals using mice though a technique in which one of an organism s genes is made inoperative, known as genetic knockout. Steven Zheng, PhD, chief of Cancer Pharmacology and researcher at Rutgers Cancer Institute is senior author of the work and shares more about the findings published in the March 16 online edition of