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Resistin: molecular history and prognosis

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Abstract

Obesity and diabetes have reached epidemic proportions worldwide. The antidiabetic thiazolidinedione (TZD) drugs are insulin-sensitizing agents now widely used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. TZDs are ligands for the nuclear hormone receptor peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ, which is a master regulator of adipogenesis and adipocyte metabolism. The molecular mechanisms by which TZDs improve insulin sensitivity have not been fully identified. Here we consider a novel secreted factor first identified as a TZD-suppressible gene in mouse adipocytes, called resistin, and discuss what is currently known about resistin regulation and function in mouse and human.

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Abbreviations

FIZZ :

Found in inflammatory zone

LPS :

Lipopolysaccharide

NEFA :

Nonesterified fatty acid

PPAR :

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor

RELM :

Resistin-like molecule

SNP :

Single-nucleotide polymorphism

TNF :

Tumor necrosis factor

TZD :

Thiazolidinediones

WAT :

White adipose tissue

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Acknowledgements

We thank Shamina Rangwala and Claire Steppan for critical reading of this article. Work in the laboratory of M.A.L. was supported by NIDDK grants DK49780 and DK49210, and fostered by the University of Pennsylvania Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center (DK19525). R.R.B. gratefully acknowledges support from an NIH Predoctoral Training Grant in Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania.

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  1. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Penn Diabetes Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 415 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104-6149, USA

    Ronadip R. Banerjee & Mitchell A. Lazar

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Correspondence to Mitchell A. Lazar.

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Banerjee, R.R., Lazar, M.A. Resistin: molecular history and prognosis. J Mol Med 81, 218–226 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-003-0428-9

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