Cell death-inducing DFFA-like effector b, also known as ''CIDEB'', is a human

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...

. In humans, individuals carrying rare loss of function mutations in the ''CIDEB'' gene are protected against different aetiologies of liver disease. CIDEB

knockout mice A knockout mouse, or knock-out mouse, is a genetically modified mouse (''Mus musculus'') in which researchers have inactivated, or " knocked out", an existing gene by replacing it or disrupting it with an artificial piece of DNA. They are importan ...

have been generated by

homolog recombination Homologous recombination is a type of genetic recombination in which genetic information is exchanged between two similar or identical molecules of double-stranded or single-stranded nucleic acids (usually DNA as in cellular organisms but may be ...

technique. The CIDE null mice show decreased

lipogenesis In biochemistry, lipogenesis is the conversion of fatty acids and glycerol into fats, or a metabolic process through which acetyl-CoA is converted to triglyceride for storage in fat. Lipogenesis encompasses both fatty acid and triglyceride synt ...

. The CIDEB knockout mice are resistant to high fat diet induced obesity and liver

steatosis Steatosis, also called fatty change, is abnormal retention of fat ( lipids) within a cell or organ. Steatosis most often affects the liver – the primary organ of lipid metabolism – where the condition is commonly referred to as fatty liver di ...

. In addition, the CIDEB null mice also have improved insulin sensitivity and enhanced hepatic

fatty acid oxidation Fatty is a derogatory term for someone who is obese. It may refer also to: People * Mai Fatty, Gambian politician * Roscoe Arbuckle (1887–1933), American actor and comedian * Fatty Briody (1858–1903), American Major League Baseball player ...

and whole body metabolism. CIDEB plays a key role in determining lipid droplet size: overexpression of CIDEB ''in vitro'' results in fat accumulation by inducing larger lipid droplets, while CIDEB knock-out experiments results in accumulation of smaller lipid droplets.

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