Fig. 1.

Overexpression of the resistin gene in adipocytes results in mild insulin resistance and increased atherosclerosis. (a) Full-length resistin gene expressed under the 5.4 kb Ap2 promoter in mice results in adipose tissue overexpression. Limited expression can also be detected in peritoneal macrophages (Mφ) by quantitative RT-PCR. ND indicates not detected. (b) Circulating resistin levels in Retn tg mice (black bars) on chow diet and western diet (WD) are elevated compared to wild type littermates (white bars). (c) Oral glucose tolerance test in chow-fed male mice (white squares: wild type; black squares: Retn tg mice). (d) Oral glucose tolerance test in WD-fed male mice demonstrated reduced sensitivity (p=0.023 for AUC). (e, f) Fasting glucose (e) and fasting insulin (f) levels in Ldlr^−/− female mice on WD. (g) Adiponectin levels in Retn tg female mice (black bars) were no different from those in wild-type female mice (white bars); WD reduced levels in Ldlr^−/− wild-type mice, but not in Ldlr^−/− Retn tg mice. Male mice (hatched bars, white background: wild type; black background: Retn tg) exhibited no differences with diet or genotype. *p<0.05 and ***p<0.001 vs wild type; ^†p<0.05, chow vs WD