title: Regulation of resistin by gonadal, thyroid hormone, and nutritional status.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Resistin was recently identified as a hormone secreted by adipocytes that is under hormonal and nutritional control. This hormone has been suggested to be the link between obesity and type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of gender, gonadal status, thyroid hormones, pregnancy, and food restriction on resistin mRNA levels in adipose tissue of rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have determined resistin mRNA expression by Northern blot analysis in all experimental sets.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Resistin mRNA expression is influenced by age, with the highest hormone levels existing at 45 days after birth and decreasing thereafter. Resistin mRNA expression is higher in men than in women. Moreover, we studied the effect of orchidectomy and ovariectomy in rats of different ages and showed that gonadal hormones increase adipose tissue resistin mRNA expression in male rats. Resistin is also regulated by thyroid hormones; it is severely decreased in hyperthyroid rats. Our results clearly show that chronic food restriction (30% of ad libitum food intake) led to a decrease in adipose tissue mRNA levels in normal cycling female rats and pregnant rats. In pregnancy, resistin mRNA levels were enhanced particularly at midgestation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our observations indicate that resistin is influenced by gender, gonadal status, thyroid hormones, and pregnancy. These findings suggest that resistin could explain the decreased insulin sensitivity during puberty and could be the link between sex steroids and insulin sensitivity. Moreover, resistin could mediate the effect of thyroid hormones on insulin resistance and the state of insulin resistance present during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Universitario de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Rubén
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nogueiras
authors.forename: Oreste
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gualillo
authors.forename: J Eduardo
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Caminos
authors.forename: Felipe F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Casanueva
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Diéguez
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000737:chemistry; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006729:Hormones, Ectopic / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000378:metabolism; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009919:Orchiectomy; D010052:Ovariectomy; D010053:Ovary / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D052243:Resistin; D013737:Testis / Q000502:physiology*; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006729:Hormones, Ectopic; D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D052243:Resistin; C499622:Retn protein, rat; C486575:Retnla protein, rat; D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor