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Abstract
Recent data underscore the importance of intertissue communication in the maintenance of normal glucose homeostasis. Important signals are conveyed by hormones, cytokines, and fuel substrates and are sensed through a variety of cellular mechanisms. The ability of tissues to sense and adapt to changes in metabolic status and fuel availability is altered in insulin-resistant states including type 2 diabetes. Here we review the roles of glucose and its metabolites as signaling molecules and the diverse physiologic mechanisms for glucose sensing.
Authors
Mark A. Herman, Barbara B. Kahn
Figure 3
Substrate cycles as glucose-derived signals.
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Carbon that enters muscle and adipose tissue as glucose may be completely oxidized and leave the tissue as CO2 and H2O. However, a substantial portion of the carbon that enters these tissues as glucose is recycled back to the liver in the form of various gluconeogenic precursors. These gluconeogenic precursors constitute signals reflecting the intracellular milieu in muscle and adipose tissue, which is determined by the physiologic state of the organism. Amino acids derived from protein breakdown that occurs predominantly in muscle provide nitrogen and carbon for the production of alanine and glutamine in muscle and adipose tissue.
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ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)