The adipose cell functions as an endocrine organ. It secretes hormones, cytokines and other factors that influence energy balance, glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity and vascular biology through actions in the central nervous system and peripheral tissues. My lab used gene array analyses of adipose tissue from insulin-resistant and insulin-sensitive mouse models to reveal novel pathways that regulate glucose homeostasis and adiposity. Molecules we discovered are highly-regulated in insulin-resistant humans and provide new markers and potential mechanisms for type 2 diabetes and ?metabolic syndrome?.