The two molecules are so similar that osmotin binds to the same spot on muscle cells as the hormone and activates the cell as well. For this reason it may be possible to use the protein to treat diseases associated with low levels of adiponectin including obesity and heart disease.

It's very possible that the plant protein could play a role in the prevention of diseases like diabetes ...because it has the same target as adiponectin in mammal cells -- the adiponectin receptor, said Ray Bressan of Indiana’sPurdue University, one of the study's authors.