A balance of lipid-sensing mechanisms in the brain and liver

  • Cell Metab. 2007 Aug;6(2):99-104. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2007.07.005.
Liora Caspi  1 ,  Penny Y T Wang ,  Tony K T Lam
Affiliations
  • 1. Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.
PMID: 17681145 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2007.07.005
Abstract

Recent work has cast a spotlight on the brain as a nutrient-sensing organ that regulates the body's metabolic processes. Here we discuss the physiological and molecular mechanisms of brain lipid sensing and compare these mechanisms to liver lipid sensing. A direct comparison between the lipid-sensing mechanisms in the brain and liver reveals similar biochemical/molecular but opposing physiological mechanisms in operation. We propose that an imbalance between the lipid-sensing mechanisms in the brain and liver may contribute to obesity-associated Type 2 Diabetes.