Heterozygous deficiency of endoglin decreases insulin and hepatic triglyceride levels during high fat diet

Endoglin is a transmembrane auxiliary receptor for transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) that is predominantly expressed on proliferating endothelial cells. It plays a wide range of physiological roles but its importance on energy balance or insulin sensitivity has been unexplored. Endoglin def...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Diéguez González, Carlos, Nogueiras Pozo, Rubén, Beiroa Tarrío, Daniel, López Pérez, Miguel A., Romero Picó, Amparo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2013
País:España
Institución:Servizo Galego de Saúde (SERGAS)
Repositorio:RUNA. Repositorio da Consellería de Sanidade e Sergas
OAI Identifier:oai:runa.sergas.gal:20.500.11940/1948
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11940/1948
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Diet, High-Fat
Heterozygote
Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
Insulin
Liver
Triglycerides
Dieta Alta en Grasa
Heterocigoto
Péptidos y Proteínas de Señalización Intracelular
Insulina
Hígado
Triglicéridos
Descripción
Sumario:Endoglin is a transmembrane auxiliary receptor for transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) that is predominantly expressed on proliferating endothelial cells. It plays a wide range of physiological roles but its importance on energy balance or insulin sensitivity has been unexplored. Endoglin deficient mice die during midgestation due to cardiovascular defects. Here we report for first time that heterozygous endoglin deficiency in mice decreases high fat diet-induced hepatic triglyceride content and insulin levels. Importantly, these effects are independent of changes in body weight or adiposity. At molecular level, we failed to detect relevant changes in the insulin signalling pathway at basal levels in liver, muscle or adipose tissues that could explain the insulin-dependent effect. However, we found decreased triglyceride content in the liver of endoglin heterozygous mice fed a high fat diet in comparison to their wild type littermates. Overall, our findings indicate that endoglin is a potentially important physiological mediator of insulin levels and hepatic lipid metabolism.