Metabolic Disorders/Diabetes

Mice study suggests metabolic diseases may be driven by gut microbiome, loss of ovarian hormones

2024-02-26

Three researchers standing in front of lab equipment.

The gut microbiome interacts with the loss of female sex hormones to exacerbate metabolic disease, including weight gain, fat in the liver and the expression of genes linked with inflammation, researchers found in a new rodent study. The findings, published in the journal...

Researchers identify new patterns of cell interactions with molecular chaperone

2023-06-27

Through a new approach of cross-linking cell proteins directly to a protein of interest, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s School of Molecular & Cellular Biology have distinguished new patterns of cell interactions with a molecular chaperone.

Meet MCB: Professor Jongsook Kim Kemper

2022-12-21

Dr. Kemper is Professor Emeritus of Molecular & Integrative Physiology. Her lab focuses on metabolic signaling and epigenomic control of metabolism and energy balance.

Scientists join together to present findings on impact of lipids on metabolic diseases

2022-02-18

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign recently hosted the 4th Big Ten Academic Alliance Lipid meeting, bringing together dozens of scientists from across the country to share their expertise on how lipids impact metabolic diseases.

Investigating the role of Brd4 in diet-induced obesity

2021-05-04

A new study, published in JCI insight, looks at how Brd4, a regulator of the innate immune response, influences diet-induced obesity. The researchers believe that Brd4 could be used as a target for obesity and insulin resistance.

Division of labor within regenerating liver maintains metabolism, mouse study finds

2021-03-02

The liver has a rare superpower among body organs – the ability to regenerate, even if 70% of its mass is removed. It also keeps up its metabolic and toxin-removing work during the process of regeneration, thanks to a subset of cells that expand their workload while the rest focus on multiplication...

Unraveling mechanisms of FXR in protection against liver diseases

2021-02-10

Obesity is rising in prevalence and poses a major concern for the health of our general population. Currently affecting over one-third of the population of the United States, obesity is often comorbid with other diseases, such as diabetes, fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and some...

Study: Gut hormones' regulation of fat production abnormal in obesity, fatty liver disease

2020-11-24

Gut hormones play an important role in regulating fat production in the body. One key hormone, released a few hours after eating, turns off fat production by regulating gene expression in the liver, but this regulation is abnormal in obesity, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-...

MCB researchers shed light that detoxification machinery is kept on in some liver disease states

2020-09-14

Left: Bhoomika Mathur, PhD graduate from the Anakk lab. Right: Professor Sayee Anakk.

Bile acids are cholesterol metabolites that are well known for their role in fat digestion. Many liver diseases such as gallstones, fatty liver disease, congenital disorders lead to cholestasis, which is characterized as accumulation of bile acids in the liver. The Anakk laboratory at the...

Researchers find a fasting-induced epigenetic pathway that promotes autophagy and lipid degradation

2020-02-10

Autophagy or “self-eating” is a fundamental biological process by which cells digest and recycle cellular components for survival of the cells under nutrient-deprived conditions. Autophagy must be tightly controlled since deficient autophagy is associated with many diseases and aging, while...

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