Comment on: Visinoni et al. The Role of Liver Fructose-1,6-Bisphosphatase in Regulating Appetite and Adiposity. Diabetes 2012;61:1122–1132

In the May 2012 issue of Diabetes , Visinoni et al. (1) described the role of liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBP-1) in regulating appetite and adiposity and in contributing to body weight regulation. In transgenic mice overexpressing FBP-1 , they observed a lean body weight phenotype and ∼50% reduction of adiposity that was supported by a reduction of food intake. In keeping with this evidence, appetite-stimulating neuropeptide Y and Agouti-related peptide were found to be significantly suppressed. The authors observed an inversion of the lean body weight phenotype by pharmacologic inhibition of FBP-1, suggesting a crucial role for this enzyme in the presence of excess nutrients/fats. FBP-1 is an enzyme in …