This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Chehab, F. F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Chehab, F. F.

Minireview: Obesity and LipOdystrophy—Where Do the Circles Intersect?

Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94107

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Farid F. Chehab, University of California, San Francisco, Department of Laboratory Medicine, 185 Berry Street, Suite 290, San Francisco, California 94107-0134. E-mail: chehabf{at}labmed2.ucsf.edu.

Abstract

Adipose tissue is unique in that it can undergo significant hypertrophy and atrophy, resulting in wide ranges of obesities and lipodystrophies. At the base of this elasticity is the lipid-filled adipocyte, which can either overfill by storing large amounts of triglycerides or shrink to a tiny cell by depleting its lipids and as such is remarkable in sustaining insults. As a major energy reservoir, the adipocyte may hold considerable calories necessary for survival and reproduction, two functions that are essential for the survival of the species. This review will summarize some of the recent studies that have advanced our understanding of the central and peripheral mechanisms that are initiated by adipocyte-secreted factors such as leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and retinol-binding protein 4. The intersection of obesity and lipodystrophy results in insulin resistance, which may be unlocked by elucidating the roles of these factors in pathways that control insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Phan, M. A. Hickey, P. Zhang, M.-F. Chesselet, and K. Reue Adipose tissue dysfunction tracks disease progression in two Huntington's disease mouse models Hum. Mol. Genet., March 15, 2009; 18(6): 1006 - 1016. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. J. Palmer, M.-Y. Chung, E. O. List, J. Walker, S. Okada, J. J. Kopchick, and D. E. Berryman Age-Related Changes in Body Composition of Bovine Growth Hormone Transgenic Mice Endocrinology, March 1, 2009; 150(3): 1353 - 1360. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. C. Rowe, C. S. Choi, L. Neff, W. C. Horne, G. I. Shulman, and R. Baron Increased Energy Expenditure and Insulin Sensitivity in the High Bone Mass {Delta}FosB Transgenic Mice Endocrinology, January 1, 2009; 150(1): 135 - 143. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]