New players on the metabolic stage

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.