The genetics of PTPN1 and obesity: Insights from mouse models of tissue-specific PTP1B deficiency

The protein tyrosine phosphatase ptp1b is a negative regulator of both insulin and leptin signaling and is involved in the control of glucose homeostasis and energy expenditure. due to its prominent role in regulating metabolism,ptp1b is a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of human obesity and type 2 diabetes. the ptp1b protein is encoded by the ptpn1 gene on human chromosome 20q13,a region that shows linkage with insulin resistance,type 2 diabetes,and obesity in human populations. in this paper,we summarize the genetics of the ptpn1 locus and associations with metabolic disease. in addition,we discuss the tissue-specific functions of ptp1b as gleaned from genetic mouse models. © 2012 ryan c. tsou and kendra k. bence.