Lacteal junction zippering protects against diet-induced obesity

Abstract

Zipping up obesity Chylomicrons are specialized particles that carry dietary fats from the intestine to the bloodstream for absorption into the body. Lacteals are lymphatic vessels that act as the highway for chylomicron transport, but it is unclear how passage occurs. Zhang et al. report that two endothelial cell receptors, neuropilin-1 (NRP1) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1, also known as FLT1), are required to convert the entry spaces between lacteals from open junctions to closed, zipped structures (see the Perspective by McDonald). Mice that were fed a high-fat diet were subsequently rendered resistant to weight gain if NRP1 and FLT1 were inactivated. Science , this issue p. 599 ; see also p. 551