Endocrine Abstracts

TLR4 activation and the induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) are two of the most important mechanisms connecting excessive dietary fat with insulin resistance. TLR4 activation is a primary event in the induction of cellular stress that contributes to increased inflammatory gene expression in metabolic diseases. However, the mechanisms linking these molecular events are unknown. The chaperones GRP78 and GRP94 play an important role during the assembly of newly transl...

Abstract: Obesity results from an imbalance between caloric intake and energy expenditure. Specialized neurons of the hypothalamus coordinately control the integration between feeding and thermogenesis and a defective regulation of these parameters contribute to the progressive accumulation of body fat. Recent studies have revealed that at least part of hypothalamic dysfunction contributing to the development of obesity results from the activation of a local inflammatory respo...