Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 30, 2025

Measurement of Insulin- and Contraction-Stimulated Glucose Uptake in Isolated and Incubated Mature Skeletal Muscle from Mice
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Measurement of Insulin- and Contraction-Stimulated Glucose Uptake in Isolated and Incubated Mature Skeletal Muscle from Mice

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Vav2 catalysis-dependent pathways contribute to skeletal muscle growth and metabolic homeostasis

Sonia Rodríguez-Fdez1,2,3, L Francisco Lorenzo-Martín1,2,3, Isabel Fernández-Pisonero1,2,3

  • 1Centro de Investigaación del Cáncer, CSIC-University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain.

Nature Communications
|November 17, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Skeletal muscle

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Physiology
  • Metabolism

Background:

  • Skeletal muscle plays a crucial role in maintaining metabolic homeostasis.
  • It regulates glucose uptake and facilitates interorgan communication.
  • The insulin/IGF1 signaling pathway is central to muscle function and metabolism.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of Vav2's catalytic activity in modulating insulin/IGF1 signaling in skeletal muscle.
  • To understand how Vav2 impacts muscle mass, insulin sensitivity, and metabolic health.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized mouse models with altered Vav2 catalytic activity (hypoactive and hyperactive).
  • Assessed muscle mass, insulin responsiveness, and metabolic syndrome phenotypes.
  • Examined the effects of high-fat diet-induced metabolic imbalance.

Main Results:

  • Decreased Vav2 catalytic activity led to reduced muscle mass and insulin resistance.
  • Increased Vav2 catalytic activity resulted in muscle hypertrophy and enhanced insulin sensitivity.
  • Hypoactive Vav2 predisposed to metabolic imbalance, while hyperactive Vav2 protected against it.

Conclusions:

  • Vav2's catalytic activity is a key regulator of insulin/IGF1 signaling output in skeletal muscle.
  • Modulating Vav2 activity impacts muscle mass, insulin sensitivity, and overall metabolic health.
  • Vav2 represents a novel regulatory layer in insulin family factor signaling within muscle tissue.

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