Insulin resistance: cross-talk between adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, through free fatty acids, liver X receptor, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α signaling.

Skeletal muscle and adipose tissue play a major role in the regulation of whole-body glucose homeostasis. Much of the coordinated regulation of whole-body glucose homeostasis results from the regulation of lipid storage and release by adipose tissue and efficient switching between glucose oxidation and fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle. A control point for these biochemical actions center around the regulation of the insulin responsive glucose transporter, GLUT4. This review examines the regulation of GLUT4 in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, in the context of the steroid nuclear hormone receptor signaling.