First published online June 28, 2004
Journal of Cell Science 117, 1504e (2004)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
Resistin' temptations
Resistin is a recently discovered metabolic regulator secreted by adipose tissue. It controls insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance and has been implicated in type II diabetes and obesity. Consumption doesn't seem to be the only urge with which resistin is associated, however; Manuel Tena-Sempere and co-workers have now linked it to reproduction (see p. 3247). Using immunohistochemical staining and RNA analyses, they demonstrate that resistin is expressed in the testes, where its levels increase progressively from birth to adulthood. The authors show that resistin can promote secretion of testosterone and is itself regulated by pituitary gonadotrophins. Perhaps more interestingly, they reveal that resistin in the testes is nutritionally regulated: fasting decreases its expression, as does leptin – but not in obese mice. Tena-Sempere and co-workers therefore suggest that this novel regulator functions as an `endocrine integrator' that links nutritional status and reproduction. This could be particularly important given that reproductive function is impaired in obese men.
Related articles in JCS:
- Novel expression of resistin in rat testis: functional role and regulation by nutritional status and hormonal factors
- Ruben Nogueiras, M. Luz Barreiro, Jorge E. Caminos, Francisco Gaytán, Janne S. Suominen, Victor M. Navarro, Felipe F. Casanueva, Enrique Aguilar, Jorma Toppari, Carlos Diéguez, and Manuel Tena-Sempere
JCS 2004 117: 3247-3257.
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