Who is Luigi Mangione: What to know about the ‘strong person of interest’ in shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Police followed a series of clues to identify and track down the suspect believed to have fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to the NYPD. On Monday, police responded to a tip from a McDonald’s employee in Altoona, Pennsylvania, who said they saw a man who looked like the person of interest police have been searching for. Mangione was eating in the McDonald’s when he was recognized by the employee, police said. The 26-year-old man was taken in for questioning, and it was discovered that he was in possession of a ghost gun that matches the weapon believed to have been used in the assassination-style killing, officials said at a press conference on Monday. The person of interest also had supresser for the gun and several fake identification cards, including a New Jersey ID that the NYPD believes was used by the gunman.

The person of interest was pictured in the back of a taxi (EPA) New York Mayor Eric Adams said that the man in custody matches the description of the person in the photos and that he possessed items connected to the killing. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed Mangione has been arrested on firearms charges. He is believed to be “our person of interest,” she told the press conference, and said it was down to a “combination of old-school detective work and new age technology” as well as the public that helped lead to the arrest.

Receptor makes mice strong and slim

Mouse on exercise wheel (stock image).

Increasing abdominal girth and shrinking muscles are two common side effects of aging. Researchers at the University of Bonn have discovered a receptor in mice that regulates both effects. Experiments with human cell cultures suggest that the corresponding signaling pathways might also exist in humans. The study, which also involved researchers from Spain, Finland, Belgium, Denmark and the USA, has now been published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

On their surface, cells carry numerous different "antennas," called receptors, which can receive specific signal molecules. These then trigger a specific reaction in the cell. One of these antennas is the A2B receptor. The surfaces of some cells are virtually teeming with it, for example in the so-called brown adipose tissue. Brown adipose tissue, unlike its white-colored counterpart, is not used to store fat. Instead, it burns fat and thereby generates heat.

"In our publication we took a closer look at the A2B receptors in brown adipose tissue," explains Prof. Dr. Alexander Pfeifer from the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University Hospital Bonn. "In the course of this we discovered an interesting association: The more A2B a mouse produces, the more heat it generates." Which means the A2B antennas somehow seem to increase the activity of the brown fat cells. But a second observation was even more exciting: Despite their increased fat burning, the animals weigh hardly less than mice with fewer receptors. "They are slimmer, but at the same time have more muscles," explains Pfeifer.

Muscles like a young mouse

In fact, the researchers were able to show that the muscle cells of mice also carry the A2B receptor. When this is stimulated by a small molecule agonist, muscle growth in the rodents is increased. "The receptor regulates both fat burning and muscle development," emphasizes Pfeifer's colleague Dr. Thorsten Gnad, the lead author of the study.

As they age, mice increasingly lose muscle mass -- similar to humans. And just like us, they also tend to gain a lot of fat around the hips over the years. However, if they receive the agonist that activates the A2B receptor, these aging effects are inhibited: Their oxygen consumption (an indicator of energy dissipation) increases by almost half; moreover, after four weeks of treatment they have as much muscle mass as a young animal. "A2B activation can therefore reverse both aging effects to a certain extent," explains Gnad.

In order to see whether the results were also meaningful for humans, the researchers examined human cell cultures and tissue samples. They found that in people with a large number of A2B receptors, the brown adipose tissue works at a higher rate. At the same time, their muscle cells consume more energy, which may indicate that they are also more active and may be more likely to be regenerated.

"Obesity is a growing problem worldwide," emphasizes Prof. Pfeifer. "Every extra pound not only increases the risk of developing diabetes, but also the risk of high blood pressure, vascular damage and therefore heart attacks and strokes. These problems are further exacerbated by muscles that shrink over the years, as they further reduce the body's energy requirements both at rest and in motion." In addition, poor muscle strength has an immense impact on the everyday life of older people, as they are increasingly restricted in their mobility.

The pharmacologists explain that the prospect of having a receptor on hand that might be able to slow down both of these age-related phenomena is therefore highly exciting. However, further research would first have to show to what extent the human mechanisms actually resemble those in mice. Additionally, there is currently no activator of A2B approved for use in humans. This means that little is known about any side effects of such a treatment. "We found no signs of adverse reactions in mice," says Pfeifer. "However, the meaningfulness of the results is, of course, also limited on this matter."

Gnad emphasizes that the success of the study is also the result of good cooperation with numerous international partners: "Nowadays, it is almost impossible to work on complex issues comprehensively without such cooperation."

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Materials provided by University of Bonn. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Thorsten Gnad, Gemma Navarro, Minna Lahesmaa, Laia Reverte-Salisa, Francesca Copperi, Arnau Cordomi, Jennifer Naumann, Aileen Hochhäuser, Saskia Haufs-Brusberg, Daniela Wenzel, Frank Suhr, Naja Zenius Jespersen, Camilla Scheele, Volodymyr Tsvilovskyy, Christian Brinkmann, Joern Rittweger, Christian Dani, Mathias Kranz, Winnie Deuther-Conrad, Holger K. Eltzschig, Tarja Niemi, Markku Taittonen, Peter Brust, Pirjo Nuutila, Leonardo Pardo, Bernd K. Fleischmann, Matthias Blüher, Rafael Franco, Wilhelm Bloch, Kirsi A. Virtanen, Alexander Pfeifer. Adenosine/A2B Receptor Signaling Ameliorates the Effects of Aging and Counteracts Obesity. Cell Metabolism, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2020.06.006