Publications by authors named "Nareg Y Kalajian"
Impaired estrogen receptor α (ERα) action promotes obesity and metabolic dysfunction in humans and mice; however, the mechanisms underlying these phenotypes remain unknown. Considering that skeletal muscle is a primary tissue responsible for glucose disposal and oxidative metabolism, we established that reduced ERα expression in muscle is associated with glucose intolerance and adiposity in women and female mice. To test this relationship, we generated muscle-specific ERα knockout (MERKO) mice.
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- Obesity is linked to a higher incidence of breast cancer, and studying how the estrogen receptor (ER)α affects obesity and cancer is important for addressing these health issues.
- Researchers created fat-specific ERα knock-out (FERKO) mice and found that deleting ERα led to larger fat cells and increased levels of a protein called lipocalin 2 (Lcn2), which is associated with breast cancer development.
- The study shows that ERα-deficient adipocytes produce more Lcn2, which stimulates breast cancer cell growth and movement, suggesting that lower ERα in fat tissue contributes to obesity and worsens breast cancer through increased Lcn2 production.