Palmitic acid mediates hypothalamic insulin resistance by altering PKC-theta subcellular localization in rodents.

ABSTRACT: Insulin signaling can be modulated by several isoforms of PKC in peripheral tissues. Here, we assessed whether one specific isoform, PKC-theta, was expressed in critical CNS regions that regulate energy balance and whether it mediated the deleterious effects of diets high in fat, specifically palmitic acid, on hypothalamic insulin activity in rats and mice. Using a combination of in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, we found that PKC-theta was expressed in discrete neuronal populations of the arcuate nucleus, specifically the neuropeptide Y/agouti-related protein neurons and the dorsal medial nucleus in the hypothalamus. CNS exposure to palmitic acid via direct infusion or by oral gavage increased the localization of PKC-theta to cell membranes in the hypothalamus, which was ass

SUBMITTER: Benoit SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2735917 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature