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The Butler Lab

Research

The United States is experiencing an epidemic of obesity. Abundant calorie-rich foods and reduced physical activity leads to weight gain and increased risk of developing insulin resistance and diseases of the metabolic syndrome. Determining the mechanisms involved in the homeostatic regulation of appetite and expenditure of energy is an important step in the development of new therapies against obesity and diabetes. The Butler lab has two areas of interest. We are investigating how the 24 rhythms of wakefulness and metabolism are regulated by nutrients. During periods of nutrient scarcity, organisms rapidly synchronize their circadian rhythm with nutrient intake. Our data suggests that the melanocortin-3 receptor (MC3R), a g-protein-coupled receptor expressed in the brain, is involved in this process. MC3R are regulated by neuropeptides released from neurons which respond to local and systemic signals of metabolic state and nutrient intake. Loss of MC3R function results in an impaired ability to anticipate nutrient intake, and results in a condition resembling diabetes and the metabolic syndrome observed with obesity. We are now investigating the function of MC3R-expressing neurons in the hypothalamus which may have a critical role in maintaining glucose homeostasis. Our second research focus is a novel hormone which we have called adropin. Adropin is a peptide hormone released by the liver in response to signals of metabolic state, and also appears to be regulated by dietary fat intake. Studies in the laboratory suggest that obesity is a state of adropin deficiency. We have observed that deletion of the gene encoding adropin results in a "pre-diabetic" condition. Moreover, adropin therapy has shown promise in preclinical studies, improving the metabolic syndrome associated with obesity. We are now examining the mechanisms involved in the regulation of metabolic homeostasis by adropin.

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