Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Chemerin is a multifunctional adipokine involved in pathogenesis of metabolic disease by regulating inflammation, adipocyte plasticity and glucose metabolism. It is known to be influenced by age, adiposity and triglycerides, and supports important roles in systemic lipid and glucose metabolism.However, the direct acute effects of circulating chemerin on varying metabolic disease states given a high–saturated fat meal has not been addressed.<p clas...

Chemerin is a newly discovered chemoattractant adipokine and is a natural ligand for the G protein coupled receptor CMKLR1. Its role in the regulation of energy metabolism and inflammation makes it a promising candidate for urgently needed pharmacological treatment strategies for obesity. To demonstrate a central role of chemerin, we manipulated chemerin signalling in the arcuate nucleus, a specific hypothalamic region associated with appetite regulation. We designed a short-h...

Tanycytes line the wall of the third ventricle sitting at the boundary between the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and the hypothalamus. Tanycytes actively take up substances from the CSF using their villi-like apical projections that extend into the third ventricle. Retinol is one such compound and can be oxidized by these cells to retinoic acid, which can be released to regulate transcription in the hypothalamus via specific nuclear receptors. Two retinal dehydrogenases (RALDHs)...