Emerging Roles for the () Locus in Adipose Tissue: Implications for Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.

Besides its role as a cell cycle and proliferation regulator, the () locus and its associated pathways are thought to play additional functions in the control of energy homeostasis. Genome-wide association studies in humans and rodents have revealed that single nucleotide polymorphisms in this locus are risk factors for obesity and related metabolic diseases including cardiovascular complications and type-2 diabetes (T2D). Recent studies showed that both p16-CDK4-E2F1/pRB and p19-P53 (p14 in humans) related pathways regulate adipose tissue (AT) physiology and adipocyte functions such as lipid storage, inflammation, oxidative activity, and cellular plasticity (browning).