Insulin resistance and adipogenesis: role of transcription and secreted factors.

Insulin stimulates carbohydrate uptake by cells and induces their conversion into lipids as a more efficient form of energy storage. Insulin resistance is associated with a decrease in glucose uptake by muscle and adipose cells and also with a decrease in glycogen synthesis on retention of glucose synthesis by liver cells. Disorders in the insulin signaling cascade on development of insulin resistance can be caused by both changes in functioning of transcriptional factors and in the secretion profile of hormone-like substances.

Femtosecond formation dynamics of primary photoproducts of visual pigment rhodopsin.

The coherent 11-cis-retinal photoisomerization dynamics in bovine rhodopsin was studied by femtosecond time-resolved laser absorption spectroscopy at 30-fs resolution. Femtosecond pulses of 500, 535, and 560 nm wavelength were used for rhodopsin excitation to produce different initial Franck-Condon states and relevant distinct values of the vibrational energy of the molecule in its electron excited state. Time evolution of the photoinduced rhodopsin absorption spectra was monitored after femtosecond excitation in the spectral range of 400-720 nm.