Adiponectin: More Than Just Another Fat Cell Hormone?

Recent research has shown that adipose tissue is not simply an inert storage depot for lipids but is also an important endocrine organ that plays a key role in the integration of endocrine, metabolic, and inflammatory signals for the control of energy homeostasis. The adipocyte has been shown to secrete a variety of bioactive proteins into the circulation. These secretory proteins, which have been collectively named adipocytokines (1), include leptin (2), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (3), plasminogen-activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) (4), adipsin (5), resistin (6), and adiponectin (7). Adiponectin, the gene product of the adipose most abundant gene transcript 1 (apM1) (7), is a novel and important member of…