A recent study in Nature Metabolism by Felix et al. reveals that the breakdown of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) by the enzyme aspartoacylase (encoded by Aspa) in adipocytes has a crucial role in regulating circulating NAA levels, maintaining systemic glucose homeostasis and controlling postprandial body temperature.
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Funcke, JB., Scherer, P.E. Much ado about NAA-thing. Nat Metab 7, 1498–1500 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-025-01327-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-025-01327-5