scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Author

Philip J. Bilan

Bio: Philip J. Bilan is an academic researcher from University of Toronto. The author has contributed to research in topics: Glucose transporter & GLUT4. The author has an hindex of 42, co-authored 78 publications receiving 6405 citations. Previous affiliations of Philip J. Bilan include Harvard University & University of British Columbia.


Papers
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is found that microglia are not required for mechanical pain hypersensitivity in female mice; female mice achieved similar levels of pain hypers sensitivity using adaptive immune cells, likely T lymphocytes, suggesting that male mice cannot be used as proxies for females in pain research.
Abstract: A large and rapidly increasing body of evidence indicates that microglia-to-neuron signaling is essential for chronic pain hypersensitivity. Using multiple approaches, we found that microglia are not required for mechanical pain hypersensitivity in female mice; female mice achieved similar levels of pain hypersensitivity using adaptive immune cells, likely T lymphocytes. This sexual dimorphism suggests that male mice cannot be used as proxies for females in pain research.

950 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An important role for PKBα/Akt1 in the stimulation of glucose transport by insulin in muscle cells in culture is outlined and it is unlikely that AAA-PKB acted by inhibiting PI 3-kinase signaling.
Abstract: L6 myoblasts stably transfected with a GLUT4 cDNA harboring an exofacial myc epitope tag (L6-GLUT4myc myoblasts) were used to study the role of protein kinase B alpha (PKBalpha)/Akt1 in the insulin-induced translocation of GLUT4 to the cell surface. Surface GLUT4myc was detected by immunofluorescent labeling of the myc epitope in nonpermeabilized cells. Insulin induced a marked translocation of GLUT4myc to the plasma membrane within 20 min. This was prevented by transient transfection of a dominant inhibitory construct of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase (Deltap85alpha). Transiently transfected cells were identified by cotransfection of green fluorescent protein. A constitutively active PKBalpha, created by fusion of a viral Gag protein at its N terminus (GagPKB), increased the cell surface density of GLUT4myc compared to that of neighboring nontransfected cells. A kinase-inactive, phosphorylation-deficient PKBalpha/Akt1 construct with the mutations K179A (substitution of alanine for the lysine at position 179), T308A, and S473A (AAA-PKB) behaved as a dominant-negative inhibitor of insulin-dependent activation of cotransfected wild-type hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged PKB. Furthermore, AAA-PKB markedly inhibited the insulin-induced phosphorylation of cotransfected BAD, demonstrating inhibition of the endogenous PKB/Akt. Under the same conditions, AAA-PKB almost entirely blocked the insulin-dependent increase in surface GLUT4myc. PKBalpha with alanine substitutions T308A and S473A (AA-PKB) or K179A (A-PKB) alone was a less potent inhibitor of insulin-dependent activation of wild-type HA-PKB or GLUT4myc translocation than was AAA-PKB. Cotransfection of AAA-PKB with a fourfold DNA excess of HA-PKB rescued insulin-stimulated GLUT4myc translocation. AAA-PKB did not prevent actin bundling (membrane ruffling), though this response was PI 3-kinase dependent. Therefore, it is unlikely that AAA-PKB acted by inhibiting PI 3-kinase signaling. These results outline an important role for PKBalpha/Akt1 in the stimulation of glucose transport by insulin in muscle cells in culture.

600 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The data show that GLut-4 is an insulin-responsive glucose transporter in skeletal muscle and, furthermore, that GLUT-4 also responds to acute exercise, suggesting the existence of distinct intracellular insulin- and exercise-recruitable GLUT -4 transporter pools.

492 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: GLUTs represent attractive targets for cancer therapy and this review summarizes recent studies in which GLUT1, GLUT3,GLUT5 and others are inhibited to decrease cancer growth.
Abstract: It is long recognized that cancer cells display increased glucose uptake and metabolism. In a rate-limiting step for glucose metabolism, the glucose transporter (GLUT) proteins facilitate glucose uptake across the plasma membrane. Fourteen members of the GLUT protein family have been identified in humans. This review describes the major characteristics of each member of the GLUT family and highlights evidence of abnormal expression in tumors and cancer cells. The regulation of GLUTs by key proliferation and pro-survival pathways including the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), Ras, c-Myc and p53 pathways is discussed. The clinical utility of GLUT expression in cancer has been recognized and evidence regarding the use of GLUTs as prognostic or predictive biomarkers is presented. GLUTs represent attractive targets for cancer therapy and this review summarizes recent studies in which GLUT1, GLUT3, GLUT5 and others are inhibited to decrease cancer growth.

272 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The nature of skeletal muscle inflammation associated with muscle exercise, damage, and regeneration, endotoxin presence, and myopathies are reviewed, as well as the new evidence of local inflammation arising with obesity that potentially contributes to insulin resistance.
Abstract: Skeletal muscles contain resident immune cell populations and their abundance and type is altered in inflammatory myopathies, endotoxemia or different types of muscle injury/insult. Within tissues, monocytes differentiate into macrophages and polarize to acquire pro- or anti-inflammatory phenotypes. Skeletal muscle macrophages play a fundamental role in repair and pathogen clearance. These events require a precisely regulated cross-talk between myofibers and immune cells, involving paracrine/autocrine and contact interactions. Skeletal muscle also undergoes continuous repair as a result of contractile activity that involves participation of myokines and anti-inflammatory input. Finally, skeletal muscle is the major site of dietary glucose disposal; therefore, muscle insulin resistance is essential to the development of whole body insulin resistance. Notably, muscle inflammation is emerging as a potential contributor to insulin resistance. Recent reports show that inflammatory macrophage numbers within muscle are elevated during obesity and that muscle cells in vitro can mount autonomous inflammatory responses under metabolic challenge. Here, we review the nature of skeletal muscle inflammation associated with muscle exercise, damage, and regeneration, endotoxin presence, and myopathies, as well as the new evidence of local inflammation arising with obesity that potentially contributes to insulin resistance.

242 citations


Cited by
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
13 Sep 2012-Nature
TL;DR: Through increased knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the interactions between the microbiota and its host, the world will be in a better position to develop treatments for metabolic disease.
Abstract: The link between the microbes in the human gut and the development of obesity, cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndromes, such as type 2 diabetes, is becoming clearer. However, because of the complexity of the microbial community, the functional connections are less well understood. Studies in both mice and humans are helping to show what effect the gut microbiota has on host metabolism by improving energy yield from food and modulating dietary or the host-derived compounds that alter host metabolic pathways. Through increased knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the interactions between the microbiota and its host, we will be in a better position to develop treatments for metabolic disease.

3,436 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Recent progress in understanding of the adipo-insulin axis is reviewed, areas of controversy or uncertainty are highlighted, and approaches to clarifying the unresolved issues are suggested.
Abstract: The association of obesity with type 2 diabetes has been recognized for decades, and the major basis for this link is the ability of obesity to engender insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a fundamental aspect of the etiology of type 2 diabetes and is also linked to a wide array of other pathophysiologic sequelae including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis (i.e., the metabolic syndrome, or syndrome X), and polycystic ovarian disease (1). Although many details of the mechanisms by which the enlarged adipose tissue mass that defines obesity causes systemic insulin resistance remain unknown, the past several years have witnessed an explosive increase in our understanding of what may now be referred to as the adipo-insulin axis. There are also grounds for considering the related possibility that insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, in addition to being caused by obesity, can contribute to the development of obesity. In this Perspective, we will review recent progress, highlight areas of controversy or uncertainty, and suggest approaches to clarifying the unresolved issues.

2,897 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The two main approaches, namely bioreductive prodrugs and inhibitors of molecular targets upon which hypoxic cell survival depends are reviewed, and the particular challenges and opportunities these overlapping strategies present are addressed.
Abstract: Hypoxia is a feature of most tumours, albeit with variable incidence and severity within a given patient population. It is a negative prognostic and predictive factor owing to its multiple contributions to chemoresistance, radioresistance, angiogenesis, vasculogenesis, invasiveness, metastasis, resistance to cell death, altered metabolism and genomic instability. Given its central role in tumour progression and resistance to therapy, tumour hypoxia might well be considered the best validated target that has yet to be exploited in oncology. However, despite an explosion of information on hypoxia, there are still major questions to be addressed if the long-standing goal of exploiting tumour hypoxia is to be realized. Here, we review the two main approaches, namely bioreductive prodrugs and inhibitors of molecular targets upon which hypoxic cell survival depends. We address the particular challenges and opportunities these overlapping strategies present, and discuss the central importance of emerging diagnostic tools for patient stratification in targeting hypoxia.

2,570 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
24 Dec 2004-Science

1,949 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Recent experiments have defined new functions of ROCKs in cells, including centrosome positioning and cell-size regulation, which might contribute to various physiological and pathological states.
Abstract: ROCKs, or Rho kinases, are serine/threonine kinases that are involved in many aspects of cell motility, from smooth-muscle contraction to cell migration and neurite outgrowth. Recent experiments have defined new functions of ROCKs in cells, including centrosome positioning and cell-size regulation, which might contribute to various physiological and pathological states.

1,878 citations