Ghrelin is the only potent orexigenic peptide in circulation. It stimulates food intake and leads to metabolism regulation, positive energy balance, adipogenesis, and body weight gain. However, in studies using ghrelin antibodies, the physiological significance of ghrelin in the regulation of energy homeostasis is controversial, since loss of ghrelin function in rodents does not necessarily lead to anorexia and weight loss (1).
Triacylglycerols (triglycerides) (TGs) are the major storage molecules of metabolic energy and FAs in most living organisms. Excessive accumulation of TGs, however, is associated with human diseases, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, and steatohepatitis. The final and the only committed step in the biosynthesis of TGs is catalyzed by acyl-CoA: diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) enzymes.
Apolipoprotein E also known as ApoE is a 36kDa protein that is expressed in all lipoprotein fractions in plasma. This protein is produced in high quantities in the liver, brain, spleen, lung and kidney. The function of APOE is to mediate the binding, internalize and catabolize lipoprotein particles. A study carried out by researchers at the Case Western Reserve University in Ohio has recently been highlighted in the BBC Health News.
Adiponectin (also called AdipoQ and Acrp30) is a circulating cytokine primarily expressed in adipose tissue. A complex protein with a number of physiological roles, adiponectin antibody experiments have revealed multiple forms of the protein in circulation, including trimers, multioligomers and cleavage fragments. We at Novus Biologicals stock an extensive range of adiponectin antibodies, as well as recombinant proteins and ELISA adiponectin antibody kits.
LXR Alpha, also known as Liver X receptor Alpha is a 50KDa protein that belongs to the nuclear hormone receptor family located in the nucleus. It is specifically expressed in the liver, kidney and intestine; however it has also been found in the spleen, macrophages and the adrenals. All of these tissues play an important role in lipid metabolism. The primary role of LXR Alpha is to maintain cholesterol homeostasis in macrophages by regulating the genes involved in this.
The TUB gene, which encodes for the protein Tubby, is evolutionarily conserved in human, chimpanzee, dog, cow, mouse, chicken, zebrafish, fruit fly, mosquito, C. elegans, and rice.
Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the leading complications resulting from chronic diabetes. It manifests as progressive renal failure caused by mesangial cell hyperplasia and fibrosis, and is one of the leading causes of terminal kidney disease (1). While the etiology is complex, an imbalance between pro- and anti-oxidant pathways in the kidney leading to an excess accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is believed to contribute in large part to the development of DN.
Scavenger Receptor Class B Membrane 1, also known as SR-BI plays an important role in lipid metabolism. Its main function is to mediate transfer of cholesterol between the cell surface and high density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL acts as an extracellular donor and acceptor of free and esterified Cholesterol. SR-BI also acts as a receptor for other ligands including lipoproteins, apoptotic cells and phospholipids.
