Title:GATA-3 as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
VOLUME: 17 ISSUE: 2
Author(s):Hend Al-Jaber, Layla Al-Mansoori and Mohamed A. Elrayess*
Affiliation:Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha, Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha, Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha
Keywords:GATA-3, therapeutic target, insulin resistance, adipogenesis, inflammation, type 2 diabetes.
Abstract:Background: Impaired adipogenesis plays an important role in the development of obesityassociated
insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes as it leads to ectopic fat deposition.
The anti-adipogenic transcription factor GATA-3 was identified as one of the potential molecular targets
responsible for the impairment of adipogenesis. The expression of GATA-3 is higher in insulinresistant
obese individuals compared to BMI-matched insulin-sensitive counterparts. Adipose tissue inflammation
is a crucial mediator of this process.
Hyperglycemia mediates the activation of the immune system, partially through upregulation of GATA-
3, causing exacerbation of the inflammatory state associated with obesity.
This review discusses the evidence supporting the inhibition of GATA-3 as a useful therapeutic strategy
in obesity-associated insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, through up-regulation adipogenesis and
amelioration of the immune response.
