Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: The extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) is expressed on many different cell types other than those involved in the systemic regulation of plasma calcium. We have demonstrated previously that insulin-producing beta cells express the CaR. In this study we have used a calcimimetic CaR agonist (A568) to investigate the effects of CaR activation on beta cell function.Methods: Experiments used the insulin secreting MIN6 cell line or isolate...

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a therapeutic target for obesity and associated metabolic diseases, due to its role in non-shivering thermogenesis. BAT activation is mediated through sympathetic stimulation, but parasympathetic regulation of human BAT has not been demonstrated previously. We undertook RNA sequencing of human white and brown primary adipocytes to identify novel pathways regulating BAT. CHRM2 (encoding the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor 2) was the most differen...