These findings revealed that diminished AMPK/TFEB-dependent autophagy is involved in the pathogenesis of liver steatosis in obesity, and that CAT might be a novel therapeutic candidate for treatment of this condition.
TFEB has attracted major attention owing to its ability to enhance cellular clearance of pathogenic substrates in a variety of animal models of disease, such as lysosomal storage disorders, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, α1-antitrypsin, obesity as well as others, suggesting that the TFEB pathway represents an extraordinary possibility for future development of innovative therapies.
Viral delivery of TFEB to the liver prevented weight gain and metabolic syndrome in both diet-induced and genetic mouse models of obesity, suggesting a new therapeutic strategy for disorders of lipid metabolism.