Ataxin-2 is a polyglutamine protein implicated in several biological processes such as RNA metabolism and cytoskeleton reorganization. Ataxin-2 is highly expressed in various tissues including the hypothalamus, a brain region that controls food intake and energy balance. Ataxin-2 expression is influenced by nutritional status. Emerging studies discussed here now show that ataxin-2 deficiency correlates with insulin resistance and dyslipidemia, an action mediated via the mTOR pathway, suggesting that ataxin-2 might play key roles in metabolic homeostasis including body weight regulation, insulin sensitivity, and cellular stress responses. In this review we also discuss the relevance of ataxin-2 in the hypothalamic regulation of energy balance, and its potential as a therapeutic target in metabolic disorders such as obesity.
Keywords: ataxin-2; hypothalamus; mTOR; obesity; stress granules.
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