Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Causes of Diabetes and Obesity

Obesity and type 2 diabetes have become serious health concerns in western societies. In the United States alone, approximately 25% of the population are obese, more than 60% are overweight. The laboratory has a longstanding interest in novel lipid metabolic enzymes for their regulatory roles in the onset of diabetes and obesity, with specific emphasis on cardiolipin synthesis and remodeling. Defective cardiolipin remodeling has recently been identified as a common defect in metabolic diseases, including diabetes, obesity, CV diseases, and aging. The lab is also focusing on molecular signaling events underlying glucose-sensing by pancreatic beta cells. Loss of glucose-sensing by pancreatic beta cell is a major contributing factor to the onset of type 2 diabetes. Our research work involves a wide range of disciplines, including molecular biology, signal transduction, mitochondrial metabolism, lipidomics, genomics, kinomics, and metablomics. We are also making different transgenic and gene-targeting models to mimic the situations in human obesity and type 2 diabetes.