Congratulations to Shuai Yan — his paper was just published in Nature Communications. Shuai showed that IRF3 causes insulin resistance in adipocytes independent of any effect on body weight. The mechanism is via induction of an enzyme called AIG1, which encodes a hydrolase that destroys insulin-sensitizing lipids called FAHFAs. FAHFAs are known to reduce inflammation, and Shuai’s work reveals the other side of the coin: inflammation (though IRF3) reduces FAHFAs.
