title: [Adiponectin knockout mice].
abstract: Here we investigated the biological functions of adiponectin, a fat-derived hormone, by disrupting the gene encodes it in mice. Adiponectin knockout mice (KO) exhibited severe diet-induced insulin resistance with reduced IRS-1-associated P13-kinase activity in muscle. KO also revealed severe neo-intimal thickening in response to vascular-injury and hypertension induced by salt diet. Carbon-tetrachloride induced severe liver fibrosis in KO with the elevated gene expression of growth factors. These phenotypes in KO were reversed by viral-mediated production of adiponectin. Our results indicate that adiponectin should be one of key molecule of the metabolic syndrome and may be a new therapeutic target for the metabolic syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Molecular Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University.
authors.forename: Norikazu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Funahashi
mesh_terms: D052242:Adiponectin; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D052242:Adiponectin; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011506:Proteins