[The transcription factor ChREBP: a key modulator of insulin sensitivity?]

The transcription factor ChREBP, whose activity is induced by glucose metabolism, is a key player in the induction of genes of de novo fatty acid synthesis (lipogenesis) in response to glucose. Recent studies have shown that an active lipogenesis via ChREBP activation was associated with improved insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue and liver in mice. In particular, ChREBP, by limiting toxicity related to the accumulation of deleterious fatty acids, would be a major player of hepatic insulin sensitivity. The analysis of cohort of obese patients showed a positive correlation between ChREBP expression in the subcutaneous and visceral white adipose tissue and insulin sensitivity. More complex results were however obtained for ChREBP and hepatic insulin sensitivity. The identification of a novel ChREBP isoform, ChREBPβ, may provide a better understanding of the relationship between ChREBP, lipogenesis and insulin sensitivity in human liver.