Insulin Resistance and diabetic dyslipidemia in obesity and diabetes

Description of projects available to graduate students:
Dr. Henry Dong’s lab focuses on studies of the pathophysiology of diabetic dyslipidemia, the most common lipid disorder that is associated with insulin resistance in humans with visceral obesity and type 2 diabetes. Insulin regulates both glucose and lipid metabolism. In obesity and type 2 diabetes, insulin signaling becomes impaired, leading to the dual pathogenesis of hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. His lab centers on the delineation of the signaling pathway from aberrant insulin action to the development of hyperlipidemia. One research goal is to characterize the key protein factors in triglyceride and cholesterol metabolism, and define the molecular basis that links insulin resistance to diabetic dyslipidemia.

Dr. Dong’s lab has identified the forkhead transcription factor FoxO1 in glucose and lipid metabolism, as reported in J Clin Invest. 2008:118:2347-64 and J Clin Invest. 2004:114:1493-503. FoxO1 is a key molecule that transmits insulin signaling from cell surface to downstream target genes in cell growth, differentiation and metabolism. Using transgenic and gene knockout approaches in combination with adenovirus-mediated gene delivery, Dr. Dong works toward an in-depth characterization of FoxO1 function in peripheral tissues such as the liver, pancreatic beta cells and adipose tissues. The objective of these studies is to understand how FoxO1 is regulated by insulin and how FoxO1 dysregulation leads to disorders in glucose and lipid metabolism in insulin resistant subjects with visceral obesity and type 2 diabetes. These studies are to uncover molecular targets for therapeutic intervention of dyslipidemia in patients with metabolic syndrome. Dr. Dong lab is supported by NIH grants R01DK066301 and R01DK087764. Dr. Dong is an investigator who has received career development award from American Diabetes Association. Dr. Dong has also received funding from Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Techniques graduate student will learn:
Blood glucose assay, plasma insulin assay, plasma free fatty acid assay, plasma lipid assay, HDL, VLDL, and LDL quantification, ELISA, real-time qRT-PCR, protein chemistry, immunoprecipitation, western blot analysis, FPLC-based protein chromatography, Molecular cloning, Protein expression and purification.