New factors in the regulation of adipose differentiation and metabolism.

Obesity and lipoatrophy are major risks for insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The molecular links between adipocyte dysfunction and metabolic disorders were elusive until the discovery that adipose tissue operates as an endocrine organ and releases factors targeting a wide range of organs. This article attempts to review the more recent advances from research on the transcriptional control of adipogenesis and on new adipocyte-secreted proteins that have been proposed as molecular links between adipose tissue and insulin resistance.