The mega-importance of de novo lipogenesis in platelet production

Aberrant upregulation of de novo lipogenesis is linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and some cancers. A new study by Kelly et al. finds that inhibiting this pathway by blocking the activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase has unexpected effects on the formation of platelets from megakaryocytes within the bone marrow of primates but not rodents, thus suggesting clinical implications for de novo lipogenesis inhibitors as a new class of therapeutics.