Chaired by Samuel W. Cushman, NIDDK

Balcony A, Natcher Conference Center

Obesity and type II diabetes have increased in epidemic proportions in the United States, and are increasing dramatically in all Westernized societies, as well as Third World countries. A common feature of both abnormal metabolic states is insulin resistance, which in type II diabetes can exist independently of obesity. Nevertheless, recent evidence suggests that the capacity of adipose tissue to store excess calories as fat plays a fundamental role in the absence/presence and degree of insulin resistance. The capacity of adipose tissue to store fat is a complex function of adipose cell turnover, and the role of adipose tissue in insulin resistance reflects both adipose cell metabolic activity and endocrine function. This symposium will examine our current understanding of the role of adipogenesis in systemic glucose homeostasis. Speakers will address the issues of the regulation of adipose cell differentiation, the dynamics of adipose cell turnover, adipose tissue as an endocrine organ, and systemic factors mediating insulin-resistant glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle and liver.

Program:

Mathematical Model of Adipose Tissue Differentiation and Development
Vipul Periwal, NIDDK

Molecular Determinants of Adipogenesis
Elisabetta Mueller, NIDDK

Adipose Cell Turnover and Systemic Insulin Resistance in the Genetically Obese Zucker Fatty Rat
Desmond G. Hunt, NIDDK

Adipose Tissue and Adipokines: For Better or Worse
Oksana Gavrilova, NIDDK

The Role of the PAT Family of Lipid Droplet-associated Proteins in Neutral Lipid Metabolism: Implications for Insulin Resistance
Constantine Londos, NIDDK