Glucose Transporter 4, Biomarker Development and Metabolic Syndrome in the Arctic

A general hindrance to research and clinical surveillance in the Arctic and sub-Arctic is the lack of early measured, supporting biomarkers for risk assessment. The increasing prevalence of visceral obesity is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome and has been associated with an increased risk for type-2 diabetes. Environmental chemical pollutant exposure can have an impact on adipose tissue function. The common sources of exposure for metals in the Arctic are air, water and food. Metals have been reported to affect behavior of adipocytes; methyl mercury has been shown to be cytotoxic to differentiating adipocytes. This impact on differentiation suggests that GLUT-4 as a biomarker for the impairment of the insulin-signaling pathway would be a valuable tool for studying type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The Glucose transporter 4 (GLUT-4) is a widely studied biomarker in myocytes, adipocytes and more recently peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). PBMC GLUT-4 may be a good molecule for studying the impacts of mercury in different sentinel species residing in the North. GLUT-4 has been studied in both canines and humans and samples from both species can be obtained from rural Arctic communities.