Guoxun Chen

Guoxun Chen, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition, recently received the prestigious Young Investigator Award from the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism, American Heart Association (AHA), as well as a Scientist Development Grant of $308,000 to support his research on the roles of vitamin A in the regulation of sugar and fat metabolism. Chen has also been invited to be a featured speaker at the national AHA Scientific Meeting in Orlando, Florida, this month. His future research will focus on the roles of vitamin A in the development of metabolic diseases.

Chen explores the mechanisms for how diet regulates the way we metabolize sugars and fats, particularly when the normal metabolism of these nutrients is disturbed. Chen has noticed that insulin, the body’s hormone that regulates blood sugar, acts in concert with vitamin A, an essential micronutrient that has traditionally been associated with night vision. Chen and his group found that vitamin A and its derivatives are responsible for regulating activities of enzymes involved in sugar and fat metabolism in liver cells.

Chen’s works can be accessed through UT’s digital repository, Trace.

Selected Publications

Chen, G., Zhang, Y., Lu, D., Li, N., Ross, A.C. (2009). Retinoids Synergize with Insulin to Induce Hepatic Gck Expression. Biochemical Journal 419(3): 645-54.

Chen, W., Chen, G., Head, D.L., Mangelsdorf, D.L., Russell, D.W. (2007). Enzymatic Reduction of Oxysterols Impairs LXR Signaling in Cultured Cells and the Livers of Mice. Cell Metabolism 5: 73-9

Chen, G. (2007). Liver Lipid Molecules Induce PEPCK-C Gene transcription and Attenuate Insulin Action. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 361(3): 805-10.

Chen, G., Liang, G., Ou, J., Goldstein, J.L., and Brown, M.S. (2004). Central Role for Liver X Receptor in Insulin-Mediated Activation of Srebp-1c Transcription and Stimulation of Fatty Acid Synthesis in Liver. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101: 11245-11250.