Adipose proteome analysis: focus on mediators of insulin resistance

As is well known, adipose tissue is an important site for lipid metabolism and insulin-responsive glucose uptake. The recent discovery of the endocrine function of adipose tissue and the association of obesity with chronic low-grade inflammation in adipose tissue has reinforced the concept of the central role of adipose tissue in mediating obesity-linked insulin resistance and metabolic dysregulation. The study of adipose cells has provided new insights into the mechanism underlying insulin resistance as well as the therapeutic strategies for diabetes. Numerous efforts have been made in identifying key molecular regulators of insulin action and metabolism, including the utilization of advanced proteomics technology. Various proteomic approaches have been applied to identify the adipose secretome, protein-expression profiling and post-translational modifications in adipose cells in the pathological state. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the proteomics of adipose tissue, and discuss the identified proteins that potentially play important roles in insulin resistance and diabetes.