Interplay between FGF21 and insulin action in the liver regulates metabolism.

The hormone FGF21 regulates carbohydrate and lipid homeostasis as well as body weight, and increasing FGF21 improves metabolic abnormalities associated with obesity and diabetes. FGF21 is thought to act on its target tissues, including liver and adipose tissue, to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce adiposity. Here, we used mice with selective hepatic inactivation of the IR (LIRKO) to determine whether insulin sensitization in liver mediates FGF21 metabolic actions.

Development and validation of a 96-well cellular assay for the discovery of ALDH1A1 inhibitors.

Retinoic acid, the active metabolite of vitamin A, plays important roles in various physiological and pathological processes. The two-step production of retinoic acid from vitamin A (retinol) is catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenases and aldehyde dehydrogenases, which are potential therapeutic targets for numerous diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Currently, the lack of a suitable high-throughput cellular assay hinders efforts to identify therapeutic small molecular inhibitors of aldehyde dehydrogenase, such as ALDH1A1.

Activation of prostaglandin E receptor 4 triggers secretion of gut hormone peptides GLP-1, GLP-2, and PYY.

Prostaglandins E1 and E2 are synthesized in the intestine and mediate a range of gastrointestinal functions via activation of the prostanoid E type (EP) family of receptors. We examined the potential role of EP receptors in the regulation of gut hormone secretion from L cells. Analysis of mRNA expression in mouse enteroendocrine GLUTag cells demonstrated the abundant expression of EP4 receptor, whereas expression of other EP receptors was much lower.

Liver TAG transiently decreases while PL n-3 and n-6 fatty acids are persistently elevated in insulin resistant mice.

Changes in fatty acid metabolism associated with insulin resistance have been described in rats and humans but have not been well characterized in the frequently used mouse model of diet-induced obesity. To analyse the early phase as well as established insulin resistance, C57BL/6 mice were placed for 1 or 16 weeks on a high fat diet (1w-HFD, 16w-HFD). Endocrine and metabolic parameters indicated that 1w-HFD mice showed a moderate but significant induction of insulin resistance while 16w-HFD mice exhibited profound obesity-associated insulin resistance and dyslipidemias.

Acute-phase serum amyloid A as a marker of insulin resistance in mice.

Acute-phase serum amyloid A (A-SAA) was shown recently to correlate with obesity and insulin resistance in humans. However, the mechanisms linking obesity-associated inflammation and elevated plasma A-SAA to insulin resistance are poorly understood. Using high-fat diet- (HFD-) fed mice, we found that plasma A-SAA was increased early upon HFD feeding and was tightly associated with systemic insulin resistance.