Insulin dials down endogenous hepatic glucose production after a meal by deactivating the transcription factor FoxO1. In a mouse model of insulin resistance, Umut Ozcan and his colleagues now show that hepatic overexpression of Xbp-1s, a factor involved in the cell stress response, leads to the protein degradation of FoxO1, thus reducing serum glucose levels. These results suggest a way to bypass one aspect of insulin resistance.
- Yingjiang Zhou
- Justin Lee
- Umut Ozcan