Methods to Investigate β-Arrestin Function in Metabolic Regulation

Abstract

Type II diabetes is one of the most serious worldwide public health problems, and its hallmark is insulin resistance, obesity associated with chronic inflammation, and defective islet β-cell function. β-Arrestins play important roles in diabetes pathogenesis through scaffolding insulin-induced AKT activation in the liver, suppressing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ-mediated adipogenesis and inflammatory responses in adipose tissue and through promoting GLP-1-induced insulin secretion in the islet. The current chapter provides detailed protocols for both in vitro and in vivo studies of the function of β-arrestins associated with type II diabetes.