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Updated: May 11, 2026

Metabolic Pathway Confirmation and Discovery Through 13C-labeling of Proteinogenic Amino Acids
Published on: January 26, 2012
New players on the metabolic stage: How do you like Them Acots?
1Department of Medicine; Division of Gastroenterology; Brigham and Women's Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA USA.
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 that Them1-/- 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 of Them/Acot genes.
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