Description
Omentin, the product of a a recently recognized gene, is localized in the mental tissue (visceral adipose tissue). Omentin is present in the stromal vascular cells in the adipose tissue rather than in the adipocytes. It is predominantly expressed in the visceral adipose tissue than the subcutaneous tissue, with the omentin mRNA being 150 times higher in the visceral adipose tissue. Omentin has also been detected in human blood using Western blot analysis, and seems to increase insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes in mice. It seems to increase Akt phosphorylation irrespective of insulin presence. Its role in glucose metabolism and obesity remains to be described; an insulin-sensitizing action is possible. Differences in Omentin expression has been noted in adipose tissue from normal patients and patients with inflammatory bowel disease although its significance is unknown. Human recombinant Omentin produced in E. coli is a single, polypeptide chain of 313 amino acids having a molecular mass of 35 kDa. It has been purified by using proprietary chromatographic techniques