Fatty Acid Oxidation Defects and Insulin Sensitivity

The overall goal of this proposal is to investigate the effects of disordered mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation on insulin resistance in humans. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes during excess dietary fat intake and from increased release of endogenous free fatty acids , such as occurs in obesity. Controversy exists, however, as to whether this insulin resistance results from intrinsic defects in mitochondrial energy utilization or from abnormalities resulting from excess free fatty acid flux, as well as the role that subsequent accumulation of cellular metabolic intermediates play in impaired insulin signaling. To address these controversies, the investigators will study a unique population of patients with inherited defects in each of the three mitochondrial enzymes in the fatty acid oxidation pathway: 1) very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD); 2) trifunctional protein (TFP, which includes long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD)); and 3) medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD). These proteins are required for the oxidation of sequentially shorter fatty acids . The investigators will test the hypothesis that intrinsic defects in mitochondrial function involving oxidation of long-chain, but not medium-chain, fatty acids are sufficient to prevent intralipid-induced insulin resistance.