Drs. Priyadarshini, Cordoba-Chacon and Layden have collaborated with Dr. He from Northwestern University in a recently published study focused on beta-cell physiology and control of glucose homeostasis in insulin resistant mice. The study found that the activation of autophagy in beta-cells enhances insulin signaling in peripheral tissues and reduces insulin secretion by a new process called “vesicophagy”. This study was published in Cell Reports (IF=8.282). Yamamoto S, et al. Cell Rep. 2018 Jun 12;23(11):3286-3299. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.05.032.

Dr. Xu has published a study that focused on the regulation of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus in male and female mice. The study found that the transcription factor Tap63 of POMC neurons contributes the resistance of female mice to diet-induced obesity and may be a key molecular driver for the sexual dimorphism in energy homeostasis. This study was published in Nature Communications (IF=12.124). Wang et al. Nat Commun. 2018 Apr 18;9(1):1544. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-03796-7.