J Diabetes Investig
September 2025
Aims/introduction: High 1-h plasma glucose levels have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. To determine the pathophysiological features in participants with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) with 1-h hyperglycemia (HG), we investigated the variability in the glucagon and insulin secretions after oral glucose loading and nutrient survey.
Materials And Methods: A 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed in Japanese Americans (aged 40-75 years), enrolled in medical surveys conducted in 2015.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
August 2023
Adipose tissue is central to regulation of energy homeostasis. Adaptive thermogenesis, which relies on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (Ox-Phos), dissipates energy to counteract obesity. On the other hand, chronic inflammation in adipose tissue is linked to type 2 diabetes and obesity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThermogenic brown and beige adipocytes counteract obesity by enhancing energy dissipation via uncoupling protein-1 (Ucp1). However, the effect of genetic variation on these cells, a major source of disease susceptibility, has been less well studied. Here we examined beige adipocytes from obesity-prone C57BL/6J (B6) and obesity-resistant 129X1/SvJ (129) mouse strains and identified a -regulatory variant rs47238345 that is responsible for differential Ucp1 expression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndocr Relat Cancer
August 2022
DNA methylation and demethylation regulate the transcription of genes. DNA methylation-associated gene expression of adrenal steroidogenic enzymes may regulate cortisol production in cortisol-producing adenoma (CPA). We aimed to determine the DNA methylation levels of all genes encoding steroidogenic enzymes involved in CPA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Cell Endocrinol
May 2022
DNA methylation alteration is tissue-specific and play a pivotal role in regulating gene transcription during cell proliferation and survival. We aimed to detect genes regulated by DNA methylation, and then investigated whether the gene influenced cell proliferation or survival in adrenal cells. DNA methylation and qPCR analyses were performed in nonfunctioning adrenocortical adenoma (NFA, n = 12) and aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA, n = 35) samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
October 2021
The molecular mechanisms by which mutation-mediated cell proliferation or tumorigenesis in aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) have not been elucidated. First, we investigated whether the APA-associated L104R mutation stimulated cell proliferation. Second, we aimed to clarify the molecular mechanisms by which the mutation-mediated cell proliferated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Cell Endocrinol
December 2021
The intracellular molecular mechanisms underlying the genotype of cortisol-producing adenoma (CPA) have not been fully determined. We analyzed gene expressions in CPA and the human adrenocortical cell line (HAC15 cells) with PRKACA mutation. Clustering analysis using a gene set associated with responses to cAMP revealed the possible differences between PRKACA mutant CPAs and GNAS and CTNNB1 mutant CPAs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays a pivotal role in syntheses of proteins and steroid hormones and regulation of intracellular Ca level. We aimed to investigate ER-associated genes in aldosterone-producing adenomas (APAs) and clarify their effect on aldosterone production. Microarray analysis targeting 288 ER-associated genes was conducted using nonfunctioning adrenocortical adenomas (n=5) and APAs (n=19).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Cell Biol
September 2017
Brown fat dissipates energy as heat and protects against obesity. Here, we identified nuclear factor I-A (NFIA) as a transcriptional regulator of brown fat by a genome-wide open chromatin analysis of murine brown and white fat followed by motif analysis of brown-fat-specific open chromatin regions. NFIA and the master transcriptional regulator of adipogenesis, PPARγ, co-localize at the brown-fat-specific enhancers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrown fat generates heat to protect against cold and obesity. Adrenergic stimulation activates the thermogenic program of brown adipocytes. Although the bioactivity of brown adipose tissue in adult humans had been assumed to very low, several studies using positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) have detected bioactive brown adipose tissue in adult humans under cold exposure.
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