Submitted on March 6, 2007
Accepted on March 20, 2007
Thematic Review Series on Adipocyte Biology: Adipose tissue function and plasticity orchestrate nutritional adaptation
Jaswinder K. Sethi and Antonio J. Vidal-Puig
Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 2QR
Corresponding Author: jks30{at}cam.ac.uk
This review focuses on adipose tissue biology and introduces the concept of adipose tissue plasticity and expandability as key determinants of obesity-associated metabolic dysregulation. This concept is fundamental to our understanding of adipose tissue as a dynamic organ at the centre of nutritional adaptation. We summarise the current knowledge on the mechanisms by which adipose tissue can impact on peripheral energy homeostasis particularly in the context of over-nutrition. Two mechanisms emerge that provide a molecular understanding for obesity-associated insulin resistance. These are, a) the abnormal production of adipokines and b) dysregulation of adipose tissue expandability. This knowledge has potential of paving the way for novel therapeutic concepts and strategies for managing and/or correcting complications associated with obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome.
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