This is just the "bookmarking" blog where I will post only links and perhaps abstracts I've come across that are of interest to me and may someday be discussed in a blog post.

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Friday, June 15, 2012

Effects of Genetic Variation in the Human Retinol Binding Protein-4 Gene (RBP4) on Insulin Resistance and Fat Depot–Specific mRNA Expression

Effects of Genetic Variation in the Human Retinol Binding Protein-4 Gene (RBP4) on Insulin Resistance and Fat Depot–Specific mRNA Expression

Retinol-Binding Protein 4 Is Associated with Insulin Resistance and Body Fat Distribution in Nonobese Subjects without Type 2 Diabetes

Retinol-Binding Protein 4 Is Associated with Insulin Resistance and Body Fat Distribution in Nonobese Subjects without Type 2 Diabetes

RBP4, an unexpected adipokine

RBP4, an unexpected adipokine

Retinol Binding Protein-4 Levels and Clinical Features of Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Retinol Binding Protein-4 Levels and Clinical Features of Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Serum retinol binding protein 4 contributes to insulin resistance in obesity and type 2 diabetes

Serum retinol binding protein 4 contributes to insulin resistance in obesity and type 2 diabetes

Effect of Weight Loss on LDL and HDL Kinetics in the Metabolic Syndrome

Effect of Weight Loss on LDL and HDL Kinetics in the Metabolic Syndrome 
Associations with changes in plasma retinol-binding protein-4 and adiponectin levels

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Saturday, April 28, 2012

High Circulating Leptin Receptors with Normal Leptin Sensitivity in Liver-specific Insulin Receptor Knock-out (LIRKO) Mice

High Circulating Leptin Receptors with Normal Leptin Sensitivity in Liver-specific Insulin Receptor Knock-out (LIRKO) Mice

Insulin and its evolving partnership with leptin in the hypothalamic control of energy homeostasis

Insulin and its evolving partnership with leptin in the hypothalamic control of energy homeostasis

Yin and Yang of hypothalamic insulin and leptin signaling in regulating white adipose tissue metabolism

Yin and Yang of hypothalamic insulin and leptin signaling in regulating white adipose tissue metabolism

Insulin inhibits leptin receptor signalling in HEK293 cells at the level of janus kinase-2: a potential mechanism for hyperinsulinaemia-associated leptin resistance.

Insulin inhibits leptin receptor signalling in HEK293 cells at the level of janus kinase-2: a potential mechanism for hyperinsulinaemia-associated leptin resistance.

Segregation of Acute Leptin and Insulin Effects in Distinct Populations of Arcuate Proopiomelanocortin Neurons

Segregation of Acute Leptin and Insulin Effects in Distinct Populations of Arcuate Proopiomelanocortin Neurons

Central leptin insufficiency syndrome: an interactive etiology for obesity, metabolic and neural diseases and for designing new therapeutic interventions

Central leptin insufficiency syndrome: an interactive etiology for obesity, metabolic and neural diseases and for designing new therapeutic interventions

Fatty acid composition in serum lipids and adipose tissue in severe obesity before and after six weeks of weight loss

Fatty acid composition in serum lipids and adipose tissue in severe obesity before and after six weeks of weight loss  {abstract only}

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Cellular and Molecular Characterization of the Adipose Phenotype of the Aromatase-Deficient Mouse

Cellular and Molecular Characterization of the Adipose Phenotype of the Aromatase-Deficient Mouse

Estrogen deficiency in the aromatase knockout (ArKO) mouse leads to the development of obesity by as early as 3 months of age, which is characterized by a marked increase in the weights of gonadal and infrarenal fat pads. Humans with natural mutations of the aromatase gene also develop a metabolic syndrome. In the present study cellular and molecular parameters were investigated in gonadal adipose tissue from 10-wk-old wild-type (WT) and ArKO female mice treated with 17β-estradiol or placebo to identify the basis for the increase in intraabdominal obesity. Stereological examination revealed that adipocytes isolated from ArKO mice were significantly larger and more abundant than adipocytes isolated from WT mice. Upon treatment with estrogen, the volume of these adipocytes was greatly reduced, whereas the reduction in the number of adipocytes was much less pronounced. Transcriptional analysis using real-time PCR revealed concomitant changes with adipocyte volume in the levels of transcripts encoding leptin and lipoprotein lipase, whereas peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ levels followed a pattern closer to that of adipocyte number. Little change was observed in levels of transcripts for factors involved in de novo fatty acid synthesis, β-oxidation, and lipolysis, suggesting that changes in the uptake of lipids from the circulation are the main mechanisms by which estrogen regulates lipid metabolism in these mice.

Elevated Free Fatty Acids Impair Glucose Metabolism in Women

Elevated Free Fatty Acids Impair Glucose Metabolism in Women

Aromatase-deficient (ArKO) mice have a phenotype of increased adiposity

Aromatase-deficient (ArKO) mice have a phenotype of increased adiposity

The aromatase-knockout (ArKO) mouse provides a useful model to examine the role that estrogens play in development and homeostasis in mammals. Lacking a functional Cyp19 gene, which encodes aromatase, the ArKO mouse cannot synthesize endogenous estrogens. We examined the adipose depots of male and female ArKO mice, observing that these animals progressively accumulate significantly more intraabdominal adipose tissue than their wild-type (WT) littermates, reflected in increased adipocyte volume at gonadal and infrarenal sites. This increased adiposity was not due to hyperphagia or reduced resting energy expenditure, but was associated with reduced spontaneous physical activity levels, reduced glucose oxidation, and a decrease in lean body mass. Elevated circulating levels of leptin and cholesterol were present in 1-year-old ArKO mice compared with WT controls, as were elevated insulin levels, although blood glucose levels were unchanged. Associated with these changes, a striking accumulation of lipid droplets was observed in the livers of ArKO animals. Our findings demonstrate an important role for estrogen in the maintenance of lipid homeostasis in both males and females.