Two concurrent UCLA Symposia will address topics on the molecular biology of obesity and metabolic regulation. Genes participating in adipose cell differentiation have been cloned, molecular probes for key enzymes of fatty acid and glucose metabolism have been isolated, in vitro systems for adipocyte differentiation have been set, and a molecular approach to brown adipocyte differentiation and activity has been developed. This sets the stage for collaborative multidisciplinary research on obesity based on RNA and DNA technology. This meeting will place emphasis on current and emerging molecular biology studies in the field and will be designed to facilitate effective strategies for elucidating the molecular basis of obesity. Metabolic control of both information processing and energy production pathways depends on at least two structural aspects of cellular organization. First, most metabolic pathways are organized aggregates of sequential enzymes. Second, within the same cellular compartment, the environment consists of separate, heterogeneous, and highly concentrated protein microenvironments. Three current problems in metabolic regulation are: distributive control of a single pathway; the possible regulatory role of enzyme-complex stability; and the relevance of calculations that are based on in vitro experiments done in a dilute homogeneous solution. This meeting will discuss advances that have been made in understanding regulatory phenomena using cell engineering, crystallographic, electron microscopic, and nuclear magnetic resonance technologies. Together these meetings will provide a unique opportunity for the exchange of ideas and technology between these two disciplines.
